Bob Pettit, inaugural NBA MVP and Hawks champion, dies at 93

Bob Pettit, whose scoring and rebounding made him a defining player of the NBA’s early years, has died at 93. LSU announced Thursday that he had died the previous day. The university did not disclose a cause of death. An All-American at LSU, Pettit spent his entire 11-season NBA career with the Hawks and made the All-Star team every season. He won the league’s inaugural MVP award in 1956, added another in 1959 and helped deliver the franchise’s only championship in 1958.

A championship breakthrough against Boston

Pettit and the St. Louis Hawks repeatedly challenged the Celtics, meeting Boston in each of their four NBA Finals appearances. Their 1958 victory interrupted a stretch in which the Celtics claimed nine championships in 10 seasons. His individual accomplishments were just as substantial. After earning Rookie of the Year honors in 1954-55, the Hawks’ final season in Milwaukee, Pettit led the NBA in scoring with 25.7 points per game the following season. He topped the scoring list again in 1959, averaging 29.2 points. Pettit finished his career after the 1964-65 season with averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds. He retired as the league’s all-time scoring leader with 20,880 points, while his 12,849 rebounds ranked second.

An enduring Louisiana legacy

A Baton Rouge native, Pettit developed from a late arrival on his high school varsity team into an LSU standout who led the SEC in scoring throughout his three varsity seasons. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970, he remains honored with a statue outside LSU’s arena. LSU retired his No. 50, and the Hawks retired his No. 9. After basketball, Pettit returned to Baton Rouge and worked in banking and financial consulting. He continued attending LSU and New Orleans Pelicans games in recent years.