Larry Bird vs. Jim Palmer Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Jim Palmer 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.

Jim Palmer

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Jim Palmer: 1958-59 to 1960-61

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Jim Palmer 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Jim Palmer 3

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Jim Palmer 0

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Jim Palmer 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Jim Palmer 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Jim Palmer 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Jim Palmer 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Jim Palmer 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Jim Palmer 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Jim Palmer 0

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Jim Palmer 8.1

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Jim Palmer 5.3

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Jim Palmer 0.8

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Jim Palmer 1,595

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Jim Palmer 1,040

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Jim Palmer 165

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Jim Palmer 196

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Jim Palmer .413

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Jim Palmer .703

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Jim Palmer 10.3 (1959)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Jim Palmer 7.0 (1959)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Jim Palmer 1.0 (1959)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Jim Palmer - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Jim Palmer - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Jim Palmer -

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Jim Palmer -

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Jim Palmer -

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Jim Palmer -

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Jim Palmer -

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Jim Palmer -

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Jim Palmer 0

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Jim Palmer -

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Jim Palmer - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Jim Palmer -

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Jim Palmer -

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Jim Palmer -

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Jim Palmer -

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Jim Palmer - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Jim Palmer - 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.