Larry Bird’s MVP Points Per Season: The Last NBA Player Who Won Back-To-Back-To-Back MVP Awards

Larry Bird is considered a top-two small forward of all time in terms of individual and team success. He captured an impressive 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards, and made 12 All-Star Teams in 13 years. In terms of team accolades, Larry Bird won 3 championships with the Boston Celtics and also won two Finals MVP awards with them. Not to mention, Larry is one of the greatest shooters of all time, with a career average of 37.6% from deep, despite playing in a 1980s era where the three-point shot was not even encouraged.

Because he consistently made the right move at the appropriate moment, Bird’s intangibles were just on another level. Larry possessed the size to shoot over any defender and set up any shot he wanted, and it did not matter whether he was young or older. Of course, that was thanks to his high-arcing release that was impossible to contest. With his scoring prowess, Bird frequently forced the outcome of games, and he never seemed to back down, no matter who the opposition was. Beyond scoring, Bird was exceptional at passing the ball (career average 6.3 APG) and also crashing the boards (10.0 RPG) better than almost every other small forward ever.

Bird also managed to win 3 MVP awards in a row, all coming between 1984 and 1986. That’s right, Bird is one of three players to ever win at least 3 MVP awards in a row (Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain). In honor of Larry and his incredible resume, it is time to go through every season of Larry’s career to allocate the total number of MVP points earned and his MVP race finish. His dominance across the league for 13 years was impressive to witness, and it is time to go back in time to revisit the elite resume that saw him gain a ton of MVP votes en route to his trifecta of MVP awards.

1979-80 – 15 Points (MVP Race Finish: 4th)

Season Statistics: 21.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Larry Bird had one of the best rookie campaigns in recent memory, even if he came when he was supposed to compete with other elite stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving to win an MVP award. The forward averaged 21.3 PPG and 10.4 RPG while also showing the capability to dominate defenses. Unsurprisingly, Larry accumulated MVP votes and managed to finish 4th in the MVP race as a rookie.

The spectacular rookie won Rookie of the Year, shooting 47.4% from the field, 40.6% from three, and 83.6% from the line. The Celtics had yet another superstar in their history, but this one was seemingly a little different. At age 23, Bird only finished runner-up to Kareem, Erving, and George Gervin in the MVP race.

1980-81: 423 Points (MVP Race Finish: 2nd)

Season Statistics: 21.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

A year after making the Eastern Conference Finals with Larry on the squad as the best rookie in the league, the Boston Celtics once again had their star for the season. Bird went out with a bang, competing in 82 games. The forward’s numbers were very consistent, as he posted 21.2 PPG and 10.9 RPG while leading the Boston Celtics to the best record in the East.

Bird and his all-around game were simply devastating because no team could stop the player when he was cooking as a scorer, passer, and rebounder. The Bucks ended up defeating the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals, which capped off an all-time great season by Larry.

1981-82: 406 Points (MVP Race Finish: 2nd)

Season Statistics: 22.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Larry Bird followed up an incredible ending to a season that won a championship with another spectacular showing. The forward averaged 22.9 PPG and 10.9 RPG, once again destroying the rest of the competition. Unsurprisingly, the superstar forward once again made the Eastern Conference Finals, although he could not add a second championship just yet.

Larry’s incredible season across the board almost gave him the MVP award, as that honor went to a dominant Moses Malone. Sure, Moses was going ballistic with his numbers, but Bird was making his team win games convincingly. No doubt, winning has to be the biggest factor in a player’s MVP case. Bird earned 406 points, which was just behind Moses Malone (507 MVP points).

1982-83: 364 Points (MVP Race Finish: 2nd)

Season Statistics: 23.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Bird’s career was off to a fantastic start, almost winning an MVP award already and finishing second twice already. In 1983, he finished second again. Bird was dominant on both ends of the floor, scoring the ball at an elite clip while also doing everything at a superstar level. Larry dominated the perimeter, created for his teammates, and even played defense. In one-on-one situations, Larry was suffocating with his length while also scoring the ball at a consistent level on offense.

Bird came close to winning his first MVP award by posting 23.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.8 APG while shooting 50.4% from the field. In nearly every way, Larry’s 1983 season might be one in which he could have had a case for actually being the MVP despite finishing second. Larry’s 364 MVP votes were behind Moses Malone’s, who had 720 MVP votes as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

1983-84: 652 Points (MVP Race Finish: 1st)

Season Statistics: 24.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Larry Bird finished second three times before he finally captured his well-deserved MVP award. Bird’s stat line during the 1984 season was incredibly complete, especially since the forward was required to do so much. Whether scoring, passing, blocking shots or rebounding, Bird did it all, and it was evident to see.

As expected, Bird won his first MVP award, finishing first ahead of Bernard King, who posted 26.3 PPG and 5.1 RPG. King had 373 MVP votes, so he was still quite far off from the legendary forward. Bird had the edge in the end, capturing the MVP and also winning in 7 games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. 

1984-85: 763 Points (MVP Race Finish: 1st)

Season Statistics: 28.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG

Larry Bird had the highest MVP finish of his career to date in 1985, when he posted 28.7 PPG and 10.5 RPG to finish 1st in the MVP race. The superstar Celtics player came ahead of Magic Johnson (264 MVP points) and Moses Malone (218 points). The superstar Celtic had the numbers to win the MVP award, and the narrative was on his side because the team finished 1st in the East.

Larry Bird averaged 28.7 PPG but also posted incredible all-around numbers, such as 1.6 SPG and 10.5 RPG. No doubt, Bird began staking his claim as possibly the most dominant talent at the small forward spot in NBA history. By the time of his retirement, he would undisputedly become the best small forward ever.

1985-86: 765 Points (MVP Race Finish: 1st)

Season Statistics: 25.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG

In the 1985–86 NBA season, Larry Bird won his third straight MVP award and had established himself as one of the all-time greats already. That results in an exceptionally prosperous season, one that Larry would even acknowledge as one of his best ever. Larry was simply elite on both ends of the floor.

Being a score-first player, scoring 25.8 PPG on nearly 50-40-90 shooting is remarkable. The Boston Celtics star shot 49.6% from the field, 42.3% from three, and 89.6% from the free-throw line. However, Larry made it appear even more simply because he beat out Dominique Wilkins and Magic Johnson to complete a trifecta of MVP awards.

1986-87: 271 Points (MVP Race Finish: 3rd)

Season Statistics: 28.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Bird’s 1986-87 campaign saw him come close to winning yet another MVP award as he led the Celtics to the best record in the East. Once more, Larry Bird averaged over 28 points per game, making 52.5% of his field goal attempts, 40.0% from three, and 91% of his free throw attempts. Considering that Bird would not stop there as his career would not be close to being done, it was getting harder to express just how magnificent he was.

The Celtics finished with the first seed in the Eastern Conference and made it to the NBA Finals, although it was a losing effort. Bird was dominating the scoring charts and even in rebounding, but it was not yet resulting in championship success. But in individual success, Bird was on point.

1987-88: 527 Points (MVP Race Finish: 2nd)

Season Statistics: 29.9 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG

The small forward had another stellar season, scoring 29.9 points per game on 52.7% of his shots. There was absolutely no comparison between the small forward and anyone else in terms of how well he scored the ball and also did other things well inside the paint, from rebounding to playing interior defense. Bird also shot 41.4% from three and 91.6% from the free-throw line, meaning he joined the 50-40-90 club again.

Larry made it look easy, so it was amazing how frequently he averaged more than 25 points per game throughout his career. The forward did not end the season with a championship again, as the Celtics lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. But in terms of skill and dominance, Bird was good enough to finish 2nd in the MVP race.

1988-89: (MVP Race Finish: N/A)

Season Statistics: 19.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Bird did not have an MVP finish because his body started breaking down, and he only appeared in 6 games. Unfortunately, Bird’s dominant run would take a brief halt in 1989, but he was clearly not the same physically. He averaged 19.3 PPG and 6.2 APG through 6 games, clearly un-Bird-like numbers.

It would not be long before Bird would hit retirement because injuries took a toll on his body, and he could never recover. The 1989 season would be the first major indication that the superstar small forward’s reign would slowly come to an end, although he would bounce back quite well the following year.

1989-90: 5 Points (MVP Race Finish: 10th)

Season Statistics: 24.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Larry Bird’s 1990 season is considered somewhat critical because the forward played 75 games and was trying to bounce back from an injury-filled season. The superstar small forward was spectacular in the regular season, averaging 24.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, and 1.4 SPG while shooting 47.3% from the field and 93.0% from the free-throw line.

Larry earned some MVP votes because it was amazing to see the forward back in action and winning games with the Celtics. The Celtics finished 4th in the Eastern Conference, and Bird did not have it in him to make a massive difference at that time. No doubt, Bird’s decline began to start because his body would start breaking down.

1990-91: 25 Points (MVP Race Finish: 9th)

Season Statistics: 19.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG

By leading the Boston Celtics to the playoffs again with a 56-26 record, Larry Bird earned the right to compete for the MVP award again, but he never had a chance. Larry averaged 19.4 PPG for the year while shooting 45.4% from the field and 89.1% from the free-throw line. Even at age 34, with a ton of basketball played, Bird was still a superstar despite slowing down in terms of dominating the court on both ends.

The Boston Celtics made it to the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Detroit Pistons. Bird, at age 34, was still a special talent when it came to shooting and passing the ball, but he could not be healthy enough to close the gap between the Celtics and other top teams. Larry Legend played under 70 games for the second time in his career, as he competed in 60 contests as the starting small forward.

1991-92: 3 Points (MVP Race Finish: 14th)

Season Statistics: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Larry Bird was not quite at his inhumanly best, as the 1992 season was the final season of his career despite the forward posting solid numbers across the board. The superstar was finally surpassed by other stars as one of the top-five players in the world because Larry was past his best at age 35, with only 45 games played.

Bird finished 14th in the MVP race and still helped lead the Boston Celtics to a solid 51-31 record, which was 3rd in the Eastern Conference. Larry still shot the ball well, posting 46.6% from the field, 40.6% from three, and 92.6% from the line. Making his final All-Star Team, Bird eventually rode off into the sunset. 

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