Cross-era · careers 7 years apart

Larry Bird vs Wilt Chamberlain

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Wilt Chamberlain 1959-1972 · Center

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Wilt Chamberlain (1959-1972) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 7 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Wilt Chamberlain was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 2.56× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 54.7%). Wilt Chamberlain holds the edge on accolades — 4 MVPs, 2 championships, 1 Finals MVP and the #8 all-time ranking to Larry Bird's #10.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatWilt Chamberlain
24.3 Points / game 30.1
10.0 Rebounds / game 22.9
6.3 Assists / game 4.4
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
49.4% Field goal % 56.8%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 50.1%
56.5% True shooting % 54.7%
897 Games played 1,045

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatWilt Chamberlain
2.32× Points vs era avg 2.56×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 3.85×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 2.03×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Wilt Chamberlain's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatWilt Chamberlain
23.7 Points / game 22.5
10.3 Rebounds / game 24.5
6.5 Assists / game 4.2
1.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
47.1% Field goal % 53.1%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 46.6%
164 Playoff games 160

Accolades

Larry BirdStatWilt Chamberlain
3 MVP awards 4
2 Finals MVP 1
3 Championships 2
10 All-Star selections 13
9 All-NBA 1st Team 7
#10 All-time GOAT rank #8

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