Cross-era · careers 18 years apart

Larry Bird vs Stephen Curry

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Stephen Curry 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Stephen Curry (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 18 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Stephen Curry was the higher-volume scorer (24.8 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.50× their league average respectively; Stephen Curry was the more efficient scorer (64.8% 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 Stephen Curry's #16.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatStephen Curry
24.3 Points / game 24.8
10.0 Rebounds / game 4.7
6.3 Assists / game 6.3
1.7 Steals / game 1.5
0.8 Blocks / game 0.3
49.4% Field goal % 47.1%
34.6% 3-point % 42.5%
88.5% Free throw % 91.0%
56.5% True shooting % 64.8%
897 Games played 1,069

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatStephen Curry
2.32× Points vs era avg 2.50×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 1.14×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 2.86×

Advanced metrics

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

Larry BirdStatStephen Curry
— Offensive rating 117.2
— Defensive rating 105.8
— Net rating 11.5
— Usage % 32.5%
— Assist % 27.0%
— Rebound % 6.5%

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatStephen Curry
23.7 Points / game 26.8
10.3 Rebounds / game 5.3
6.5 Assists / game 6.2
1.8 Steals / game 1.5
0.9 Blocks / game 0.3
47.1% Field goal % 45.4%
31.6% 3-point % 39.8%
88.5% Free throw % 89.1%
164 Playoff games 155

Accolades

Larry BirdStatStephen Curry
3 MVP awards 2
2 Finals MVP 1
3 Championships 4
10 All-Star selections 10
9 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#10 All-time GOAT rank #16

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