Larry Bird vs. Earl Tatum Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Earl Tatum 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 Tatum

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Earl Tatum: 1976-77 to 1979-80

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Earl Tatum 4

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Earl Tatum 1

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Earl Tatum 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Earl Tatum 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Earl Tatum 0

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

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

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Earl Tatum 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Earl Tatum 2.6

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Earl Tatum 1.9

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Earl Tatum 1.2

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Earl Tatum 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Earl Tatum 2,508

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Earl Tatum 682

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Earl Tatum 507

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Earl Tatum 319

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Earl Tatum 101

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Earl Tatum 262

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Earl Tatum .459

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Earl Tatum .333 *

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Earl Tatum .746

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Earl Tatum 14.3 (1978)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Earl Tatum 1.7 (1978)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Earl Tatum 0.5 (1978)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Earl Tatum 13.6

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Earl Tatum 4.9

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Earl Tatum 2.5

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Earl Tatum 1.4

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Earl Tatum 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Earl Tatum 150

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Earl Tatum 54

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Earl Tatum 27

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Earl Tatum 15

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Earl Tatum 9

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Earl Tatum 11

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Earl Tatum .500

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Earl Tatum - *

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Earl Tatum .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Earl Tatum 13.6 (1977)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Earl Tatum 4.9 (1977)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Earl Tatum 2.5 (1977)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Earl Tatum 1.4 (1977)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Earl Tatum 0.8 (1977)

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats.