Bob Pettit, the NBA Hall of Famer who became the league’s first Most Valuable Player, has died aged 93.
Louisiana State University, Pettit’s alma mater, said he died on Wednesday. No cause of death was given.
Pettit spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Hawks, first in Milwaukee and later in St Louis, and was selected as an All-Star in every campaign. He led the franchise to its only championship in 1958, when the Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics.
He was named the league’s MVP in 1956 and again in 1959. Pettit also won the All-Star Game MVP award four times, a record later matched only by Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.
Playing at power forward before the position had become widely established, Pettit was a powerful scorer and rebounder who also operated effectively facing the basket. He stood 6ft 9in and weighed 205lb, while also playing at centre when required.
Pettit was named Rookie of the Year in 1955, the final season before the Hawks moved from Milwaukee to St Louis. The following year, he led the NBA in scoring with an average of 25.7 points per game, and topped the scoring standings again in 1959 with 29.2.
He retired after the 1964-65 season with career averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds. At the time, his 20,880 points were the most in NBA history, while his 12,849 rebounds ranked second.
The Hawks reached the NBA Finals four times during Pettit’s career, each time facing Boston. Their first meeting, in 1957, was decided by a double-overtime Game Seven, while their 1958 victory interrupted the Celtics’ run of nine championships in 10 seasons.
Boston won the other two finals between the teams, in 1960 and 1961. The Hawks also lost a seven-game series against the Celtics in 1960 and a five-game series in 1961.
Bob Pettit’s LSU career and legacy
Born Robert Lee Pettit Jr in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 12, 1932, he was the son of an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff. He did not make his high-school varsity team until his junior year, but led Baton Rouge to a state championship as a senior.
Pettit remained in his home state to attend LSU, where he starred from his sophomore season, when players first became eligible for the varsity team. He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring in all three of his seasons, averaging 25.5, 24.9 and 31.4 points.
He is one of only three LSU players to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Pete Maravich and Shaquille O’Neal. Pettit entered the Hall in 1970, while LSU retired his number 50 and the Hawks retired his number nine.
After leaving basketball, Pettit returned to Baton Rouge and worked in banking and financial consulting. In later years, he regularly attended LSU and New Orleans Pelicans games.
