Larry Bird vs Elgin Baylor
Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Elgin Baylor (1958-1971) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 8 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Elgin Baylor was the higher-volume scorer (27.4 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.34× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 49.4%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Elgin Baylor's #30.
Career averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| 24.3 | Points / game | 27.4 |
| 10.0 | Rebounds / game | 13.5 |
| 6.3 | Assists / game | 4.3 |
| 1.7 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.8 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 49.4% | Field goal % | 43.1% |
| 34.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 88.5% | Free throw % | 78.0% |
| 56.5% | True shooting % | 49.4% |
| 897 | Games played | 846 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Larry Bird | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| 2.32× | Points vs era avg | 2.34× |
| 2.38× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.21× |
| 2.56× | Assists vs era avg | 1.97× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Elgin Baylor's era.
Playoff averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| 23.7 | Points / game | 27.0 |
| 10.3 | Rebounds / game | 12.9 |
| 6.5 | Assists / game | 4.0 |
| 1.8 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.9 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 47.1% | Field goal % | 43.4% |
| 31.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 88.5% | Free throw % | 75.3% |
| 164 | Playoff games | 134 |
Accolades
| Larry Bird | Stat | Elgin Baylor |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 2 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 1 |
| 10 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 10 |
| #10 | All-time GOAT rank | #30 |
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