Larry Bird vs. Earl Gardner Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Earl Gardner and Larry Bird that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Larry Bird

vs.

Earl Gardner

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Earl Gardner: 1948-49 to 1948-49

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Earl Gardner 1

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Earl Gardner 1

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Earl Gardner 1

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Earl Gardner 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Earl Gardner 0 *

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Earl Gardner 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Earl Gardner 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Earl Gardner 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Earl Gardner 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Earl Gardner 0 *

* Notes: Season MVP is awarded since 1955-56. Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Rookie of The Year is awarded since 1952-53.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Earl Gardner 1.8

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Earl Gardner 0.4

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Earl Gardner 89

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Earl Gardner 19

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Earl Gardner 50

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Earl Gardner .376

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Earl Gardner .464

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Earl Gardner 1.8 (1949)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Earl Gardner - n/a **

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Earl Gardner 0.4 (1949)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Earl Gardner - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Earl Gardner - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Earl Gardner 0.6

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Earl Gardner 0.1

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Earl Gardner 4

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Earl Gardner 1

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Earl Gardner 7

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Earl Gardner .111

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Earl Gardner - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Earl Gardner .500

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Earl Gardner 0.6 (1949)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Earl Gardner - n/a **

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Earl Gardner 0.1 (1949)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Earl Gardner - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Earl Gardner - n/a **

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat. Rebounds started to be recorded in 1950-51, this player has no data for the stat.