Larry Bird vs. Gus Johnson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Gus Johnson 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.

Gus Johnson

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Gus Johnson: 1963-64 to 1972-73

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Gus Johnson 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Gus Johnson 10

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Gus Johnson 5

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Gus Johnson 5

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Gus Johnson 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Gus Johnson 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Gus Johnson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Gus Johnson 4

All-Defensive 1st Team Larry Bird 0 Gus Johnson 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Gus Johnson 2

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Gus Johnson 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 Gus Johnson 17.1

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Gus Johnson 12.7

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Gus Johnson 2.6

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Gus Johnson 9,944

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Gus Johnson 7,379

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Gus Johnson 1,541

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Gus Johnson 582

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Gus Johnson .440

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Gus Johnson .699

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Gus Johnson 20.7 (1967)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Gus Johnson 17.1 (1971)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Gus Johnson 3.6 (1965)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Gus Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Gus Johnson - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Gus Johnson 13.3

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Gus Johnson 9.7

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Gus Johnson 2.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Gus Johnson 452

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Gus Johnson 330

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Gus Johnson 76

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Gus Johnson 34

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Gus Johnson .397

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Gus Johnson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Gus Johnson .760

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Gus Johnson 18.4 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Gus Johnson 11.4 (1970)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Gus Johnson 3.4 (1965)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Gus Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Gus Johnson - 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.