Larry Bird vs. Karl Malone Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Karl Malone 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.

Karl Malone

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Karl Malone 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Karl Malone 19

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Karl Malone 19

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Karl Malone 14

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Karl Malone 2

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Karl Malone 0

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Karl Malone 11

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Karl Malone 14

All-Defensive 1st Team Larry Bird 0 Karl Malone 3

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Karl Malone 4

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Karl Malone 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Karl Malone 25.0

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Karl Malone 10.1

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Karl Malone 3.6

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Karl Malone 1.4

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Karl Malone 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Karl Malone 36,928

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Karl Malone 14,968

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Karl Malone 5,248

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Karl Malone 2,085

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Karl Malone 1,145

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Karl Malone 1,476

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Karl Malone .516

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Karl Malone .274

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Karl Malone .742

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Karl Malone 31.0 (1990)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Karl Malone 12.0 (1988)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Karl Malone 4.7 (2003)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Karl Malone 1.9 (2002)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Karl Malone 1.5 (1994)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Karl Malone 24.7

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Karl Malone 10.7

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Karl Malone 3.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Karl Malone 1.3

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Karl Malone 0.7

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Karl Malone 4,761

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Karl Malone 2,062

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Karl Malone 610

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Karl Malone 258

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Karl Malone 135

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Karl Malone 193

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Karl Malone .463

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Karl Malone .162

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Karl Malone .736

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Karl Malone 30.7 (1989)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Karl Malone 16.3 (1989)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Karl Malone 4.7 (1999)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Karl Malone 2.2 (1990)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Karl Malone 1.2 (1991)