Joel Embiid vs Larry Bird
Larry Bird leads 5 of 8 career categories against Joel Embiid, including rebounding (10.0 RPG) and playmaking (6.3 APG). The two never shared an NBA floor — Larry Bird's last season was 1991-92, and Joel Embiid debuted in 2025-26.
The case for Joel Embiid: scoring (26.9 PPG), shooting efficiency (60.5% TS%), per-minute impact (24.7 PER).
The case for Larry Bird: rebounding (10.0 RPG), playmaking (6.3 APG), career value (67.4 Win Shares), and 2 more.
PPG
26.924.3
RPG
7.710.0
APG
3.96.3
TS%
60.5%56.4%
PER
24.724.7
Win Shares
4.167.4
games played
38897
MVPs / All-Star nods
—3 MVP · 2 FMVP · 10 All-NBA · 12 AS
Per Game
| Joel Embiid | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| G | 38 | 897 |
| MIN | 31.5 | 38.4 |
| PTS | 26.9 | 24.3 |
| REB | 7.7 | 10.0 |
| AST | 3.9 | 6.3 |
| STL | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| BLK | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| FG% | 48.9 | 49.6 |
| 3P% | 33.3 | 38.0 |
| FT% | 85.4 | 88.5 |
Advanced
| Joel Embiid | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| PER | 24.7 | 24.7 |
| TS% | 60.5 | 56.4 |
| USG% | 34.1 | 27.1 |
| WS | 4.1 | 67.4 |
| WS/48 | 0.163 | 0.200 |
| BPM | 4.1 | 6.8 |
| VORP | 1.8 | 36.0 |
Accolades
| Joel Embiid | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | — | 3 |
| Finals MVP | — | 2 |
| All-NBA | — | 10 |
| All-Star | — | 12 |
| All-Defensive | — | 3 |
| All-Star MVP | — | 1 |
| Rookie of the Year | — | 1 |
| All-Rookie | — | 1 |
Career percentiles
Scoring9897
Efficiency7176
Playmaking8594
Rebounding9396
Defense8491
Compare Joel Embiid to someone else · Compare Larry Bird to someone else