Cross-era · careers 24 years apart

Larry Bird vs George Mikan

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward George Mikan 1948-1955 · Center

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and George Mikan (1948-1955) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 24 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 23.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.71× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 48.3%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to George Mikan's #34.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatGeorge Mikan
24.3 Points / game 23.1
10.0 Rebounds / game 9.5
6.3 Assists / game 2.8
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
49.4% Field goal % 40.2%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 78.1%
56.5% True shooting % 48.3%
897 Games played 439

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatGeorge Mikan
2.32× Points vs era avg 2.71×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 2.55×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 1.37×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in George Mikan's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatGeorge Mikan
23.7 Points / game 22.9
10.3 Rebounds / game 11.1
6.5 Assists / game 2.2
1.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
47.1% Field goal % 39.8%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 78.3%
164 Playoff games 60

Accolades

Larry BirdStatGeorge Mikan
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 5
10 All-Star selections 4
9 All-NBA 1st Team 6
#10 All-time GOAT rank #34

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