Cross-era · careers 7 years apart
Larry Bird vs Dirk Nowitzki
Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 7 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Larry Bird was the higher-volume scorer (24.3 points per game to 20.7); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.17× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% 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 Dirk Nowitzki's #25.
Career averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Dirk Nowitzki |
|---|
| 24.3 |
Points / game |
20.7 |
| 10.0 |
Rebounds / game |
7.5 |
| 6.3 |
Assists / game |
2.4 |
| 1.7 |
Steals / game |
0.8 |
| 0.8 |
Blocks / game |
0.8 |
| 49.4% |
Field goal % |
46.6% |
| 34.6% |
3-point % |
37.9% |
| 88.5% |
Free throw % |
87.4% |
| 56.5% |
True shooting % |
57.7% |
| 897 |
Games played |
1,522 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Larry Bird | Stat | Dirk Nowitzki |
|---|
| 2.32× |
Points vs era avg |
2.17× |
| 2.38× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.82× |
| 2.56× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.14× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.
| Larry Bird | Stat | Dirk Nowitzki |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
105.9 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
105.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
0.6 |
| — |
Usage % |
0.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
0.1% |
| — |
Rebound % |
0.1% |
Playoff averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Dirk Nowitzki |
|---|
| 23.7 |
Points / game |
25.3 |
| 10.3 |
Rebounds / game |
10.0 |
| 6.5 |
Assists / game |
2.5 |
| 1.8 |
Steals / game |
1.0 |
| 0.9 |
Blocks / game |
0.9 |
| 47.1% |
Field goal % |
46.1% |
| 31.6% |
3-point % |
36.2% |
| 88.5% |
Free throw % |
89.2% |
| 164 |
Playoff games |
145 |
Accolades
| Larry Bird | Stat | Dirk Nowitzki |
|---|
| 3 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 2 |
Finals MVP |
1 |
| 3 |
Championships |
1 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
14 |
| 9 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
4 |
| #10 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#25 |