Bob Pettit, the legendary NBA forward who became the league’s first Most Valuable Player in 1956 and led the St. Louis Hawks to their only championship, has died at the age of 93.
Pettit’s alma mater, Louisiana State University (LSU), announced his death on Thursday. The university said he died a day earlier but did not disclose a cause of death.
The death of Bob Pettit marks the passing of one of the most influential players from the early years of professional basketball. A dominant scorer and rebounder, Pettit played all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Hawks and was selected as an All-Star in every season of his career.
Bob Pettit Made NBA History
Pettit entered the NBA after a standout college career at LSU and quickly established himself as one of the league’s top players.
He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1955 before capturing the league’s first MVP award in 1956. That season, Pettit averaged 25.7 points per game and led the NBA in scoring.
He later won another regular-season MVP award in 1959, when he averaged 29.2 points per game and again led the league in scoring.
Pettit was also named NBA All-Star Game MVP four times. His four All-Star Game MVP awards remain a mark matched by only Kobe Bryant.
St. Louis Hawks Championship
The biggest team achievement of Bob Pettit’s NBA career came in 1958, when the St. Louis Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship.
It remains the only NBA championship in Hawks franchise history.
Pettit and the Hawks faced the Celtics in the NBA Finals four times. Boston won the first matchup in 1957 after a dramatic Game 7 that went to double overtime.
The Hawks then defeated Boston in 1958 before losing to the Celtics again in the 1960 and 1961 Finals.
The Celtics’ dominance during the era limited Pettit to one NBA championship, despite his Hawks reaching the Finals four times.
Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing around 205 pounds, Pettit was a powerful presence at forward during an era when the modern power-forward position was still developing.
He was known for combining physical strength with scoring ability and became one of the early big men capable of attacking the basket while facing the hoop.
Pettit also played center during his career and was known for his durability. He rarely missed games despite the physical demands of the era.
He retired following the 1964-65 NBA season with career averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game.
At the time of his retirement, Pettit had scored 20,880 points, making him the NBA’s all-time leading scorer at that point. He also had 12,849 rebounds, ranking second in league history at the time.
Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970, just a few years after his retirement.
The Hall of Fame’s biography describes Pettit as a highly conditioned and determined player who helped establish a new style for big men.
His impact extended beyond the NBA. At LSU, Pettit became one of the most celebrated players in the university’s basketball history.
He is one of only three LSU basketball players in the Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Pete Maravich and Shaquille O’Neal.
Bronze statues honoring Pettit and O’Neal stand outside LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
LSU Career and Early Life
Robert Lee Pettit Jr. was born on December 12, 1932, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
His father worked in law enforcement and served as sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Pettit developed into a basketball star relatively late. He did not make the Baton Rouge High School varsity team until his junior year.
As a senior, he helped lead Baton Rouge High School to a state championship and attracted more than a dozen college scholarship offers.
Pettit chose to remain in Louisiana and attend LSU, where he became one of the school’s greatest basketball players.
He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring during all three of his varsity seasons, averaging 25.5 points as a sophomore, 24.9 as a junior and 31.4 as a senior.
Pettit’s Legacy in Basketball
Pettit’s career came during a transformative period in NBA history. He competed against some of the game’s biggest stars, including Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor.
However, professional basketball did not have the extensive television exposure it enjoys today. Pettit also spent his entire NBA career in the Hawks organization, first in Milwaukee and later in St. Louis.
The limited national exposure of the era meant his accomplishments were not seen by the enormous television audience that follows today’s NBA.
Despite that, Pettit’s statistics, awards and championships established his place among the pioneers of professional basketball.
The Atlanta Hawks have retired his No. 9 jersey, while LSU retired his No. 50.
After retiring from professional basketball, Pettit returned to his hometown of Baton Rouge.
He later worked in banking and financial consulting while remaining connected to basketball and LSU.
In his later years, Pettit continued attending LSU games and New Orleans Pelicans games.
His legacy remained visible through the retired jerseys, Hall of Fame recognition and statue at LSU.
The death of Bob Pettit at 93 brings to a close the life of one of the NBA’s earliest superstars and one of the most accomplished players of the league’s formative era.
Bob Pettit Career Highlights
- NBA seasons: 11
- Team: St. Louis Hawks
- NBA championships: 1
- NBA MVP awards: 2
- NBA All-Star selections: 11
- NBA All-Star Game MVP awards: 4
- Rookie of the Year: 1955
- Basketball Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1970
- Career scoring average: 26.4 points per game
- Career rebounding average: 16.2 rebounds per game
- LSU jersey: No. 50 retired
- Hawks jersey: No. 9 retired
