Cross-era · careers 15 years apart

Larry Bird vs Bob Pettit

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Bob Pettit 1954-1964 · Forward

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Bob Pettit (1954-1964) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 15 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bob Pettit was the higher-volume scorer (26.4 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.33× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 51.1%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Bob Pettit's #22.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatBob Pettit
24.3 Points / game 26.4
10.0 Rebounds / game 16.2
6.3 Assists / game 3.0
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
49.4% Field goal % 43.5%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 76.2%
56.5% True shooting % 51.1%
897 Games played 792

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatBob Pettit
2.32× Points vs era avg 2.33×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 2.61×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 1.32×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bob Pettit's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatBob Pettit
23.7 Points / game 25.5
10.3 Rebounds / game 14.8
6.5 Assists / game 2.7
1.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
47.1% Field goal % 41.4%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 77.9%
164 Playoff games 88

Accolades

Larry BirdStatBob Pettit
3 MVP awards 2
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 1
10 All-Star selections 11
9 All-NBA 1st Team 10
#10 All-time GOAT rank #22

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.