Larry Bird vs. John Thompson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars John Thompson 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.

John Thompson

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
John Thompson: 1964-65 to 1965-66

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 John Thompson 2

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 John Thompson 2

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 John Thompson 2

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 John Thompson 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 John Thompson 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 John Thompson 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 John Thompson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 John Thompson 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 John Thompson 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 John Thompson 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 John Thompson 3.5

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 John Thompson 3.5

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 John Thompson 0.3

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 John Thompson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 John Thompson - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 John Thompson 262

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 John Thompson 260

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 John Thompson 19

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 John Thompson - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 John Thompson - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 John Thompson 74

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 John Thompson .410

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 John Thompson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 John Thompson .595

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) John Thompson 3.6 (1965)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) John Thompson 3.6 (1965)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) John Thompson 0.3 (1966)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) John Thompson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) John Thompson - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 John Thompson 2.2

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 John Thompson 2.7

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 John Thompson 0.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 John Thompson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 John Thompson - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 John Thompson 13

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 John Thompson 16

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 John Thompson 1

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 John Thompson - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 John Thompson - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 John Thompson 6

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 John Thompson .214

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 John Thompson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 John Thompson 1.000

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) John Thompson 3.7 (1965)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) John Thompson 4.0 (1965)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) John Thompson 0.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) John Thompson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) John Thompson - 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.