Larry Bird vs. Bailey Howell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bailey Howell and Larry Bird, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Larry Bird played 13 years in the NBA, 1 more than Bailey Howell, who played 12. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Bailey Howell had his rookie season in 1959-60. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92
Bailey Howell 12 10 1959-60 to 1970-71

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1979-801959-60
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsPistons Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 82 36.0 21.3 2.6 7.8 10.4 4.5 1.7 0.6 3.2 3.4 8.5 17.8 .474 0.7 1.7 .406 3.7 4.4 .836
Bailey Howell 75 31.3 17.8 - - 10.5 0.8 - - - 3.8 6.8 14.9 .456 - - - 4.2 5.6 .739
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 9 41.3 21.3 2.4 8.8 11.2 4.7 1.6 0.9 3.7 3.3 9.2 19.7 .469 0.4 1.7 .267 2.4 2.8 .880
Bailey Howell 2 36.0 17.0 - - 8.5 1.5 - - - 4.0 7.0 20.5 .341 - - - 3.0 4.0 .750

Season 2

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1980-811960-61
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionPistons Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 82 39.5 21.2 2.3 8.6 10.9 5.5 2.0 0.8 3.5 2.9 8.8 18.3 .478 0.2 0.9 .270 3.5 4.0 .863
Bailey Howell 77 38.3 23.6 - - 14.4 2.5 - - - 3.9 7.9 16.8 .469 - - - 7.8 10.4 .753
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 17 44.1 21.9 2.9 11.1 14.0 6.1 2.3 1.0 3.6 3.1 8.6 18.4 .470 0.2 0.5 .375 4.5 5.0 .894
Bailey Howell 5 30.8 11.2 - - 9.2 4.4 - - - 4.4 4.0 11.4 .351 - - - 3.2 4.6 .696

Season 3

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1981-821961-62
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsPistons Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 77 38.0 22.9 2.6 8.3 10.9 5.8 1.9 0.9 3.3 3.2 9.2 18.4 .503 0.1 0.7 .212 4.3 4.9 .863
Bailey Howell 79 36.2 19.9 - - 12.6 2.4 - - - 4.0 7.0 15.1 .464 - - - 5.9 7.7 .768
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 12 40.8 17.8 2.8 9.8 12.5 5.6 1.9 1.4 3.2 3.6 7.3 17.2 .427 0.1 0.5 .167 3.1 3.8 .822
Bailey Howell 10 37.8 20.0 - - 9.6 2.3 - - - 4.8 6.9 16.3 .423 - - - 6.2 7.5 .827

Season 4

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1982-831962-63
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisPistons Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 79 37.7 23.6 2.4 8.6 11.0 5.8 1.9 0.9 3.0 2.5 9.5 18.7 .504 0.3 1.0 .286 4.4 5.3 .840
Bailey Howell 79 37.6 22.7 - - 11.5 2.9 - - - 3.8 8.1 15.6 .516 - - - 6.6 8.2 .798
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 6 40.0 20.5 3.3 9.2 12.5 6.8 2.2 0.5 3.2 2.5 8.2 19.3 .422 0.2 0.7 .250 4.0 4.8 .828
Bailey Howell 4 40.8 17.8 - - 10.5 2.8 - - - 4.8 6.0 16.0 .375 - - - 5.8 6.8 .852

Season 5

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1983-841963-64
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 79 38.3 24.2 2.3 7.8 10.1 6.6 1.8 0.9 3.0 2.5 9.6 19.5 .492 0.2 0.9 .247 4.7 5.3 .888
Bailey Howell 77 35.1 21.6 - - 10.1 2.7 - - - 3.8 7.8 16.5 .472 - - - 6.1 7.5 .809
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 23 41.8 27.5 2.7 8.3 11.0 5.9 2.3 1.2 3.8 3.1 10.0 19.0 .524 0.3 0.7 .412 7.3 8.3 .879
Bailey Howell ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1984-851964-65
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsBullets Lost West Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 80 39.5 28.7 2.1 8.5 10.5 6.6 1.6 1.2 3.1 2.6 11.5 22.0 .522 0.7 1.6 .427 5.0 5.7 .882
Bailey Howell 80 37.2 19.2 - - 10.9 2.6 - - - 4.3 6.4 13.0 .495 - - - 6.3 7.9 .801
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 20 40.8 26.0 2.7 6.5 9.1 5.8 1.7 1.0 2.9 2.7 9.8 21.3 .461 0.4 1.3 .280 6.1 6.8 .890
Bailey Howell 9 38.9 20.8 - - 11.7 2.1 - - - 4.2 7.4 14.4 .515 - - - 5.9 7.8 .757

Season 7

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1985-861965-66
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBullets Lost West Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 82 38.0 25.8 2.3 7.5 9.8 6.8 2.0 0.6 3.2 2.2 9.7 19.6 .496 1.0 2.4 .423 5.4 6.0 .896
Bailey Howell 79 29.5 17.3 - - 9.8 2.0 - - - 3.9 6.1 12.5 .488 - - - 5.1 7.0 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 18 42.8 25.9 1.9 7.4 9.3 8.2 2.1 0.6 2.6 3.1 9.5 18.4 .517 1.3 3.1 .411 5.6 6.1 .927
Bailey Howell 3 31.3 18.0 - - 10.0 0.7 - - - 4.3 7.7 16.7 .460 - - - 2.7 3.7 .727

Season 8

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1986-871966-67
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost East Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 74 40.6 28.1 1.7 7.5 9.2 7.6 1.8 0.9 3.2 2.5 10.6 20.2 .525 1.2 3.0 .400 5.6 6.1 .910
Bailey Howell 81 30.9 20.0 - - 8.4 1.3 - - - 3.7 7.9 15.3 .512 - - - 4.3 5.8 .741
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 23 44.1 27.0 1.8 8.3 10.0 7.2 1.2 0.8 3.1 2.4 9.4 19.7 .476 0.6 1.8 .341 7.7 8.4 .912
Bailey Howell 9 26.8 15.3 - - 7.3 0.6 - - - 3.9 6.6 13.6 .484 - - - 2.2 3.3 .667

Season 9

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1987-881967-68
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 76 39.0 29.9 1.4 7.8 9.3 6.1 1.6 0.8 2.8 2.1 11.6 22.0 .527 1.3 3.1 .414 5.5 6.0 .916
Bailey Howell 82 34.2 19.8 - - 9.8 1.6 - - - 3.5 7.8 16.3 .481 - - - 4.1 5.6 .727
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 17 44.9 24.5 1.7 7.1 8.8 6.8 2.1 0.8 2.9 2.6 8.9 19.9 .450 0.7 1.9 .375 5.9 6.6 .894
Bailey Howell 19 31.4 18.1 - - 7.7 1.2 - - - 4.4 7.1 13.9 .511 - - - 3.9 5.6 .692

Season 10

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1988-891968-69
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 6 31.5 19.3 0.2 6.0 6.2 4.8 1.0 0.8 1.8 3.0 8.2 17.3 .471 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.2 .947
Bailey Howell 78 32.4 19.7 - - 8.8 1.8 - - - 3.7 7.8 16.1 .487 - - - 4.0 5.5 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Bailey Howell 18 30.6 15.0 - - 6.6 1.1 - - - 4.7 6.2 12.7 .489 - - - 2.6 3.6 .719

Season 11

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1989-901969-70
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 75 39.3 24.3 1.2 8.3 9.5 7.5 1.4 0.8 3.2 2.3 9.6 20.2 .473 0.9 2.6 .333 4.3 4.6 .930
Bailey Howell 82 25.3 12.6 - - 6.7 1.5 - - - 3.2 4.9 11.4 .429 - - - 2.9 3.8 .763
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 5 41.4 24.4 1.4 7.8 9.2 8.8 1.0 1.0 3.6 2.0 8.8 19.8 .444 1.0 3.8 .263 5.8 6.4 .906
Bailey Howell ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1990-911970-71
Team Boston CelticsPhiladelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf Semis76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 60 38.0 19.4 0.9 7.6 8.5 7.2 1.8 1.0 3.1 2.0 7.7 17.0 .454 1.3 3.3 .389 2.7 3.1 .891
Bailey Howell 82 19.4 10.7 - - 5.4 1.4 - - - 2.9 4.0 8.4 .472 - - - 2.8 3.8 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 10 39.6 17.1 0.8 6.4 7.2 6.5 1.3 0.3 1.9 2.8 6.2 15.2 .408 0.3 2.1 .143 4.4 5.1 .863
Bailey Howell 7 17.4 6.7 - - 4.4 0.6 - - - 3.6 2.7 6.4 .422 - - - 1.3 2.6 .500

Season 13

Larry Bird Bailey Howell
Season 1991-92-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 45 36.9 20.2 1.0 8.6 9.6 6.8 0.9 0.7 2.8 1.8 7.8 16.8 .466 1.2 2.8 .406 3.3 3.6 .926
Bailey Howell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 4 26.8 11.3 0.5 4.0 4.5 5.3 0.3 0.5 1.5 1.8 5.3 10.5 .500 0.0 1.3 .000 0.8 1.0 .750
Bailey Howell ------- --- ----------