Cross-era · careers 27 years apart

Larry Bird vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 27 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% 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 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
24.3 Points / game 25.3
10.0 Rebounds / game 4.7
6.3 Assists / game 5.3
1.7 Steals / game 1.4
0.8 Blocks / game 0.8
49.4% Field goal % 50.4%
34.6% 3-point % 35.9%
88.5% Free throw % 85.1%
56.5% True shooting % 70.3%
897 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
2.32× Points vs era avg 2.37×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Larry BirdStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
23.7 Points / game 25.8
10.3 Rebounds / game 5.4
6.5 Assists / game 5.7
1.8 Steals / game 1.4
0.9 Blocks / game 1.0
47.1% Field goal % 46.6%
31.6% 3-point % 36.1%
88.5% Free throw % 86.7%
164 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Larry BirdStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
3 MVP awards 2
2 Finals MVP 1
3 Championships 1
10 All-Star selections 3
9 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#10 All-time GOAT rank #68

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