Cross-era · careers 3 years apart

Larry Bird vs Nate Thurmond

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Nate Thurmond 1963-1976 · Center

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 3 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 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 47.0%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatNate Thurmond
24.3 Points / game 15.0
10.0 Rebounds / game 15.0
6.3 Assists / game 2.7
1.7 Steals / game 0.1
0.8 Blocks / game 0.6
49.4% Field goal % 42.1%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 66.7%
56.5% True shooting % 47.0%
897 Games played 964

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatNate Thurmond
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.36×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 2.76×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 1.22×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatNate Thurmond
23.7 Points / game 11.9
10.3 Rebounds / game 13.6
6.5 Assists / game 2.8
1.8 Steals / game 0.1
0.9 Blocks / game 0.6
47.1% Field goal % 41.2%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 59.7%
164 Playoff games 81

Accolades

Larry BirdStatNate Thurmond
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 0
10 All-Star selections 5
9 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#10 All-time GOAT rank #75

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