Cross-era · careers 21 years apart

Larry Bird vs Damian Lillard

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 21 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 56.5%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatDamian Lillard
24.3 Points / game 25.1
10.0 Rebounds / game 4.3
6.3 Assists / game 6.8
1.7 Steals / game 1.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.3
49.4% Field goal % 43.8%
34.6% 3-point % 37.1%
88.5% Free throw % 89.5%
56.5% True shooting % 59.0%
897 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatDamian Lillard
2.32× Points vs era avg 2.48×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

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

Larry BirdStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatDamian Lillard
23.7 Points / game 25.2
10.3 Rebounds / game 4.4
6.5 Assists / game 6.1
1.8 Steals / game 1.2
0.9 Blocks / game 0.3
47.1% Field goal % 40.5%
31.6% 3-point % 35.5%
88.5% Free throw % 88.9%
164 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Larry BirdStatDamian Lillard
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 0
10 All-Star selections 8
9 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#10 All-time GOAT rank #69

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