Cross-era · careers 6 years apart
Larry Bird vs Tim Duncan
Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Tim Duncan (1997-2015) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 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 19.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.00× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 55.1%). Tim Duncan holds the edge on accolades — 2 MVPs, 5 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #4 all-time ranking to Larry Bird's #10.
Career averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Tim Duncan |
|---|
| 24.3 |
Points / game |
19.0 |
| 10.0 |
Rebounds / game |
10.8 |
| 6.3 |
Assists / game |
3.0 |
| 1.7 |
Steals / game |
0.7 |
| 0.8 |
Blocks / game |
2.2 |
| 49.4% |
Field goal % |
50.5% |
| 34.6% |
3-point % |
14.1% |
| 88.5% |
Free throw % |
70.1% |
| 56.5% |
True shooting % |
55.1% |
| 897 |
Games played |
1,392 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Larry Bird | Stat | Tim Duncan |
|---|
| 2.32× |
Points vs era avg |
2.00× |
| 2.38× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.61× |
| 2.56× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.44× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.
| Larry Bird | Stat | Tim Duncan |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
107.4 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
97.7 |
| — |
Net rating |
9.8 |
| — |
Usage % |
0.2% |
| — |
Assist % |
0.2% |
| — |
Rebound % |
0.2% |
Playoff averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Tim Duncan |
|---|
| 23.7 |
Points / game |
20.6 |
| 10.3 |
Rebounds / game |
11.4 |
| 6.5 |
Assists / game |
3.1 |
| 1.8 |
Steals / game |
0.7 |
| 0.9 |
Blocks / game |
2.3 |
| 47.1% |
Field goal % |
50.1% |
| 31.6% |
3-point % |
11.5% |
| 88.5% |
Free throw % |
69.1% |
| 164 |
Playoff games |
251 |
Accolades
| Larry Bird | Stat | Tim Duncan |
|---|
| 3 |
MVP awards |
2 |
| 2 |
Finals MVP |
3 |
| 3 |
Championships |
5 |
| 10 |
All-Star selections |
15 |
| 9 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
10 |
| #10 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#4 |