Larry Bird vs. Tom Sanders Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Tom Sanders 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.

Tom Sanders

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Tom Sanders: 1960-61 to 1972-73

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Tom Sanders 8

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Tom Sanders 13

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Tom Sanders 11

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Tom Sanders 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Tom Sanders 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Tom Sanders 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Tom Sanders 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Tom Sanders 1

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Tom Sanders 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 Tom Sanders 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Tom Sanders 6.3

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Tom Sanders 1.1

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Tom Sanders 8,766

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Tom Sanders 5,798

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Tom Sanders 1,026

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Tom Sanders 916

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Tom Sanders .428

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Tom Sanders .767

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Tom Sanders 12.6 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Tom Sanders 9.5 (1962)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1970)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Tom Sanders - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Tom Sanders 8.8

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Tom Sanders 5.8

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Tom Sanders 1.0

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Tom Sanders 1,142

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Tom Sanders 760

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Tom Sanders 127

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Tom Sanders 130

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Tom Sanders .436

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Tom Sanders .716

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Tom Sanders 13.5 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Tom Sanders 8.5 (1965)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1966)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Tom Sanders - 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.