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Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers lost the 2018 NBA Finals with a clean sweep, LeBron James once again played his heart out against the mighty Golden State Warriors. Throughout the playoffs, James was on an absolute tear as he averaged 34.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9 assists per game.
Also read: LeBron James vs Michael Jordan - A Statistical Comparison
He also scored seven 40-point games and one 50-point game leading his team to the NBA finals for the 8th consecutive season. James has solidified his legacy as the best player of this era and given the way he has played in his 15th NBA season, it's quite evident that he still has a lot in his tank for this game.
Larry Bird, on the other hand, is a basketball icon. His battles with Julius Erving and Magic Johnson were legendary back in the 80's. Magic and Bird's rivalry began back in their college days when they both faced off each other in 1979 NCAA Championship game. Bird lost this game but he was a winner in the NBA.
In his rookie season, Bird led the Celtics to 61 wins compared to 29 in their previous seasons. Such was the impact of Larry Legend on his team. After retiring from the NBA, Bird also excelled in front office jobs as he has been awarded coach of the year award an NBA's executive of the year award.
#1 Biographical details
LeBron James was drafted as the 1st overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. James was just eighteen years old, coming out high school with a lot of expectations and buzz around him. He easily lived up to all the expectations put on him as he recorded 27 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in his debut against the Sacremento Kings.
Larry Bird was drafted as the 6th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in 1978 before he went back to college for a final year. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team to the playoffs just in his first year in the league. Bird played as a small forward mostly and is considered one of the best in this position. He was arguably the most clutch player of his era.
#2 NBA Championships and Seasons
Both James and Bird have three championships each. It took Bird just two seasons to get his first ring whereas it took James nine seasons to capture his first ring. However, James has a few more years under his belt and with the way he is playing, there is a high probability that he will win at least one more championship.
Also, James has played two more seasons than Bird. While James is defying the odds and is ageing like fine wine, Bird, on the other hand, struggled with numerous injuries during his last seasons in the NBA, If Bird was healthy and injury free during his last few seasons, we never know if he might have won a few more championships.
James also has more All-Star selections than Bird. But considering that Bird was an All-Star for 12 out of 13 seasons he played in the NBA, missing out just in his rookie year is quite impressive.
#3 Honours and Awards
Both the players play the same position, have similar stats in most aspects of the game except defence. James is an elite defender while Bird was not at the same level. Bird wasn't bad at defence and his three All-defensive team selections is a proof for that but he is nowhere near James's level. LeBron has five All-defensive 1st team selections while Larry has zero.
Scoring wise both players were extremely good as both of them average more than 22 points per game for their career but they never had to carry the offensive burden of the team as they have played with multiple All-stars except in 2008 and 2018 (present season) where James literally had to carry the whole team on his back.
#4 Per-game stats
LeBron James leads Larry Bird in points per game in both regular season as well as playoffs. Larry is a better rebounder than James as he averages 3.7 rebounds more. James has more assists than Bird but considering the fact that James mostly plays as a point guard for his team, he is bound to average more assists. Bird averaged 6.3 assists per game for his career which is extremely formidable for a small forward/power forward.
Both Bird and James have same numbers when it comes to steals and blocks. James has an edge over Bird in scoring and assists as he averaged 27.2 points and 7.3 assists per game in the regular season and 28.9 points and 7.1assists per game in the playoffs. Bird, however, has an edge in rebounding as he recorded 10 rebounds per game in the regular season and 10.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
#5 Performance stats- Totals
It is a known fact that LeBron James is a super-athlete which has enabled him to be the best player in the world at an age where most players retire. He leads Bird in all statistical categories total in the regular season as well the playoffs. And seeing LeBron's longevity, by the time he retires he might dethrone Kareen Abdul-Jabbar for most career points in NBA history. James has already broken several all-time regular season and playoffs records.
However, speaking of Bird, he was able to record all these stats with playing 144 games lesser than James in playoffs and 246 games in the regular season which is actually quite impressive. His injuries and Lebron's longevity contributed majorly to shortening his career.
#6 Shooting Percentages
Shooting wise, Bird was a better shooter than the King which is why he has a better 3-point percentage and free throw percentage but during the 80's the 3-point range didn't have that much effect on the game as compared to the modern era. Hence, the number of 3-point attempts used to be less as well.
In terms of efficiency, both players took the most efficient shots but James slightly has an edge over Bird as most of his shot attempts come from driving into the lane getting layups and dunks. Lebron James has historically been a bad free throw shooter and his efficiency from the charity stripe has eroded over the year, Bird, on the other hand, has always been extremely efficient from the free throw line as he coverts 89% of his free throws.
#7 Earnings
The Boston Celtics legend's net worth is 45 million dollars approximately. His total income as a player was 26 million dollars. This is obviously pennies compared to what players earn today but we have to keep in mind that the salary cap was limited in the 80's and the NBA was not as huge as it is today in terms of finances. These days even role players earn more than what Bird earned in his entire career.
Don't get me wrong, Bird used to be among the highest paid players of his generation; therefore, comparing the two different salary caps would be unfair.
James, on the other hand, was the world's 6th highest paid athlete in 2018. His annual salary is 33 million dollars and on top that he earns 52 million dollars from endorsements and shoe deals making his net worth to 85 million dollars this year alone. His shoe line has the second best selling shoes after Jordans.
