Bob Pettit, the Hall of Famer and NBA’s first MVP, has died at age 93.
Pettit, who played for the St. Louis Hawks, led his team to win the first NBA championship and spent his 11 seasons with the same franchise.
His alma mater, LSU, announced on Thursday that Pettit breathed his last a day earlier.
Before stepping onto the pro basketball court, Pettit had earned an All-American during his college basketball days at Louisiana State University.
Pettit had been instrumental in navigating the first and only NBA title the Hawks won against the strong Boston Celtics in 1958.
The Hawks shared a tribute post on social media that reads, “We are grateful for his contributions to our franchise and to basketball history.
“His retired No. 9 jersey continues to hang proudly at State Farm Arena as a lasting reminder of the impact he made on our organization.”
He established himself as the best at a time when the NBA was known for well-known figures like Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, and Elgin Baylor.
With a height of 6 ft 9 in and weighing 205 pounds, Petit was a dominant force at power forward before the position was even widely known.
He was a dominant force at power forward before the position had a name.
Pettit went on to become the Rookie of the Year in 1954-55, the last season the Hawks played in Milwaukee before relocating to St. Louis.
The very next season, he won the MVP, leading the league while posting at 25.7 points a game.
Pettit entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.
He also finished as the NBA’s leading scorer in 1959 at 29.2 points.
At that time, Pettit was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer with 20,880 and second in rebounds with 12,849.
2026-09-25 15:58:00
