Bob Pettit, the Hall of Fame forward who became the NBA’s first Most Valuable Player and led the St. Louis Hawks to their only championship, has died. He was 93.
Pettit died peacefully Wednesday at his home in Metairie, Louisiana, his family said. LSU announced his death Thursday. (lsusports.net, wafb.com)
Pettit starred at LSU before playing all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Milwaukee and St. Louis Hawks. He was selected to the All-Star Game in every season of his professional career and was named first-team All-NBA 10 times.
The 6-foot-9 forward won the league’s inaugural MVP award in 1956 and captured it again in 1959. He also earned four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, a total later matched by Kobe Bryant.
Pettit’s signature performance came in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals, when he scored 50 points as the Hawks defeated Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics to win the championship. It remains the only title in franchise history.
Known for his relentless rebounding and scoring touch, Pettit finished his career with 20,880 points and became the first NBA player to surpass 20,000. He averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds in 792 games.
Before reaching the NBA, Pettit helped LSU advance to its first Final Four in 1953. He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring during each of his three varsity seasons and became a consensus first-team All-American as a senior.
LSU retired his No. 50 in 1954, making it the first number retired in any sport by the university. The Hawks later retired his No. 9.
Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970 and was selected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
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