Larry Bird vs. Gary Payton Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Gary Payton 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.

Gary Payton

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Gary Payton: 1990-91 to 2006-07

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Gary Payton 1

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Gary Payton 17

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Gary Payton 15

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Gary Payton 9

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Gary Payton 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Gary Payton 0

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Gary Payton 2

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Gary Payton 9

All-Defensive 1st Team Larry Bird 0 Gary Payton 9

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Gary Payton 9

Defensive Player of The Year Larry Bird 0 * Gary Payton 1

Steals Leader Larry Bird 0 Gary Payton 1

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Gary Payton 0

* Notes: Defensive Player of The Year is awarded since 1982-83.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Gary Payton 16.3

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Gary Payton 3.9

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Gary Payton 6.7

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Gary Payton 1.8

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Gary Payton 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Gary Payton 21,813

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Gary Payton 5,269

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Gary Payton 8,966

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Gary Payton 2,445

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Gary Payton 285

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Gary Payton 1,335

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Gary Payton .466

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Gary Payton .317

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Gary Payton .729

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Gary Payton 24.2 (2000)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Gary Payton 6.5 (2000)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Gary Payton 9.0 (2002)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Gary Payton 2.9 (1996)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Gary Payton 0.3 (2001)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Gary Payton 14.0

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Gary Payton 3.7

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Gary Payton 5.3

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Gary Payton 1.4

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Gary Payton 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Gary Payton 2,155

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Gary Payton 575

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Gary Payton 811

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Gary Payton 216

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Gary Payton 32

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Gary Payton 154

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Gary Payton .441

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Gary Payton .315

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Gary Payton .706

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Gary Payton 25.8 (2000)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Gary Payton 8.6 (2002)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Gary Payton 8.7 (2003)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Gary Payton 2.2 (1997)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Gary Payton 0.4 (2002)