Bob Pettit, a towering forward who earned distinction as the National Basketball Association’s first Most Valuable Player and became the first player in league history to score 20,000 points, died on Wednesday, September 23, according to announcements by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was 93.
Bob Pettit, Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA’s First MVP, Dies at 93
Pettit passed away peacefully at his home in Metairie, Louisiana, the Pettit family said in a statement published by CBS Sports. Dad passed away very peacefully at his home in Metairie, on Wednesday, September 23,
the family said. He was the most amazing father. The most kind, humble and gentle soul. We are so blessed to have him in our lives and we will miss him dearly.
Collegiate Stardom at LSU
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Pettit emerged as a standout player at Louisiana State University after an unpromising start to his youth basketball career. As a sophomore at Baton Rouge High School, he was cut from the varsity team before growing five inches in under a year and leading his school to its first state championship in more than two decades, as detailed by LSUsports.net.
At LSU, Pettit achieved consensus All-American status and helped guide the Tigers to their first NCAA Final Four appearance in 1953. During his senior campaign in the 1953-54 season, he averaged 31.4 points and 17.3 rebounds per game while securing an SEC title. His scoring average set a conference record that stood until Pete Maravich broke it in 1968. LSU retired his jersey in 1954—the first time the school retired a jersey in any sport—and later honored him with a statue on the basketball plaza of the Maravich Center in February 2016.
Revolutionary Professional Career With the Hawks
Selected second overall in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks, Pettit signed for an all-time rookie high of $11,000 and earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1955. The franchise relocated to St. Louis after his first season, where he played the remainder of his 11-year professional career. Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 205 pounds, Pettit starred as a physical power forward and center who modernized the frontcourt by operating away from just playing with his back to the basket.
Pettit was selected as an NBA All-Star in every single season of his 11-year career, an elite distinction shared by only a few players in league history. He won the league’s inaugural Most Valuable Player award for the 1955-56 season, leading the league in scoring with 25.7 points per game, and captured his second MVP award in 1959 when he averaged 29.2 points. He was also named the MVP of the All-Star Game four times, tying an achievement matched only by Kobe Bryant.
Championships and Legacy
Pettit led the St. Louis Hawks to four NBA Finals appearances, all against the Boston Celtics. In 1958, he captured his lone NBA championship by defeating Boston, scoring 50 points in the Hawks’ 110-109 series-clinching victory in Game 6. That performance stood alone as a single-game Finals scoring record until 2021.
Retiring after the 1964-65 season, Pettit finished his career with regular-season averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, totaling 20,880 points. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970 and was named to the NBA’s 25th, 35th, 50th, and 75th-anniversary teams. After leaving basketball, he returned to Baton Rouge to work in banking and financial consulting.