Karl Malone vs Larry Bird
Karl Malone leads 5 of 8 career categories against Larry Bird, including scoring (25.0 PPG) and rebounding (10.1 RPG). Head to head they met 11 times, with Larry Bird winning the series 8–3.
The case for Karl Malone
scoring (25.0 PPG), rebounding (10.1 RPG), shooting efficiency (57.7% TS%), and 2 more.
The case for Larry Bird
playmaking (6.3 APG), per-minute impact (24.7 PER), accolades (3 MVP · 2 FMVP · 10 All-NBA · 12 AS MVPs / All-Star nods).
Tale of the tape
25.0PPG24.3
10.1RPG10.0
3.6APG6.3
57.7%TS%56.4%
23.9PER24.7
232.3Win Shares67.4
1476games played897
Head to Head
| Karl Malone | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Series wins | 8 |
| 25.7 | PPG | 27.5 |
| 11.0 | RPG | 8.0 |
| 2.5 | APG | 6.4 |
| 11 meetings · first 1985-86 · last 1991-92 | ||
Per Game
| Karl Malone | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| 1476 | G | 897 |
| 37.2 | MIN | 38.4 |
| 25.0 | PTS | 24.3 |
| 10.1 | REB | 10.0 |
| 3.6 | AST | 6.3 |
| 1.4 | STL | 1.6 |
| 0.8 | BLK | 0.8 |
| 51.6 | FG% | 49.6 |
| 27.4 | 3P% | 38.0 |
| 74.2 | FT% | 88.5 |
Advanced
| Karl Malone | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| 23.9 | PER | 24.7 |
| 57.7 | TS% | 56.4 |
| 29.5 | USG% | 27.1 |
| 232.3 | WS | 67.4 |
| 0.203 | WS/48 | 0.200 |
| 4.6 | BPM | 6.8 |
| 92.1 | VORP | 36.0 |
Accolades
| Karl Malone | Larry Bird | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | MVP | 3 |
| 14 | All-NBA | 10 |
| 14 | All-Star | 12 |
| 4 | All-Defensive | 3 |
| 2 | All-Star MVP | 1 |
| 1 | All-Rookie | 1 |
| — | Finals MVP | 2 |
| — | Rookie of the Year | 1 |
Career percentiles
97Scoring97
84Efficiency76
81Playmaking94
97Rebounding96
87Defense91
Compare Karl Malone to someone else · Compare Larry Bird to someone else