Cross-era · careers 21 years apart

Larry Bird vs Vern Mikkelsen

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Vern Mikkelsen 1949-1958 · Forward

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Vern Mikkelsen (1949-1958) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 21 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 14.4); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.50× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 47.9%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Vern Mikkelsen's #74.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatVern Mikkelsen
24.3 Points / game 14.4
10.0 Rebounds / game 8.5
6.3 Assists / game 2.2
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
49.4% Field goal % 40.1%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 76.4%
56.5% True shooting % 47.9%
897 Games played 699

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatVern Mikkelsen
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.50×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 1.67×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 0.99×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Vern Mikkelsen's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatVern Mikkelsen
23.7 Points / game 13.4
10.3 Rebounds / game 6.9
6.5 Assists / game 1.8
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 % 79.2%
164 Playoff games 85

Accolades

Larry BirdStatVern Mikkelsen
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 4
10 All-Star selections 6
9 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#10 All-time GOAT rank #74

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