Larry Bird vs. Ralph Sampson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Ralph Sampson 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.

Ralph Sampson

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Ralph Sampson: 1983-84 to 1991-92

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Ralph Sampson 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Ralph Sampson 9

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Ralph Sampson 4

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Ralph Sampson 4

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Ralph Sampson 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Ralph Sampson 0

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Ralph Sampson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Ralph Sampson 1

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Ralph Sampson 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Ralph Sampson 1

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Ralph Sampson 15.4

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Ralph Sampson 8.8

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Ralph Sampson 2.3

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Ralph Sampson 0.9

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Ralph Sampson 1.6

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Ralph Sampson 7,039

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Ralph Sampson 4,011

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Ralph Sampson 1,038

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Ralph Sampson 390

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Ralph Sampson 752

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Ralph Sampson 456

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Ralph Sampson .486

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Ralph Sampson .172

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Ralph Sampson .661

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Ralph Sampson 22.1 (1985)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Ralph Sampson 11.1 (1984)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Ralph Sampson 3.6 (1986)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Ralph Sampson 1.3 (1986)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Ralph Sampson 2.4 (1984)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Ralph Sampson 18.7

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Ralph Sampson 10.5

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Ralph Sampson 2.9

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Ralph Sampson 0.9

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Ralph Sampson 1.5

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Ralph Sampson 711

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Ralph Sampson 400

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Ralph Sampson 109

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Ralph Sampson 35

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Ralph Sampson 57

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Ralph Sampson 38

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Ralph Sampson .497

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Ralph Sampson .375

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Ralph Sampson .703

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Ralph Sampson 21.2 (1985)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Ralph Sampson 16.6 (1985)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Ralph Sampson 4.0 (1986)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Ralph Sampson 1.5 (1986)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Ralph Sampson 1.8 (1986)