Larry Bird vs Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal leads 5 of 8 career categories against Larry Bird, including rebounding (10.9 RPG) and shooting efficiency (58.6% TS%). The two never shared an NBA floor — Larry Bird's last season was 1991-92, and Shaquille O'Neal debuted in 1992-93.
The case for Larry Bird: scoring (24.3 PPG), playmaking (6.3 APG), accolades (3 MVP · 2 FMVP · 10 All-NBA · 12 AS MVPs / All-Star nods).
The case for Shaquille O'Neal: rebounding (10.9 RPG), shooting efficiency (58.6% TS%), per-minute impact (26.4 PER), and 2 more.
PPG
24.323.7
RPG
10.010.9
APG
6.32.5
TS%
56.4%58.6%
PER
24.726.4
Win Shares
67.4180.4
games played
8971207
MVPs / All-Star nods
3 MVP · 2 FMVP · 10 All-NBA · 12 AS1 MVP · 3 FMVP · 14 All-NBA · 15 AS
Per Game
| Larry Bird | Shaquille O'Neal | |
|---|---|---|
| G | 897 | 1207 |
| MIN | 38.4 | 34.7 |
| PTS | 24.3 | 23.7 |
| REB | 10.0 | 10.9 |
| AST | 6.3 | 2.5 |
| STL | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| BLK | 0.8 | 2.3 |
| FG% | 49.6 | 58.2 |
| 3P% | 38.0 | 4.5 |
| FT% | 88.5 | 52.7 |
Advanced
| Larry Bird | Shaquille O'Neal | |
|---|---|---|
| PER | 24.7 | 26.4 |
| TS% | 56.4 | 58.6 |
| USG% | 27.1 | 29.5 |
| WS | 67.4 | 180.4 |
| WS/48 | 0.200 | 0.207 |
| BPM | 6.8 | 4.7 |
| VORP | 36.0 | 71.7 |
Accolades
| Larry Bird | Shaquille O'Neal | |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | 3 | 1 |
| Finals MVP | 2 | 3 |
| All-NBA | 10 | 14 |
| All-Star | 12 | 15 |
| All-Defensive | 3 | 3 |
| All-Star MVP | 1 | 3 |
| Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1 |
| All-Rookie | 1 | 1 |
Career percentiles
Scoring9795
Efficiency7692
Playmaking9470
Rebounding9697
Defense9194
Compare Larry Bird to someone else · Compare Shaquille O'Neal to someone else