Bob Pettit, the NBA’s first MVP and a two-time MVP overall, died at age 93 at his home in Metairie, Louisiana. The 11-time All-Star led the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 title; no cause of death was immediately given.
Pettit spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Hawks, first in Milwaukee and later in St. Louis. He was selected to every All-Star team of his career and earned All-Star Game MVP honors four times. In the 1958 Finals-clinching Game 6 against Boston, he scored 50 points, then a playoff record.
When he retired in 1965, Pettit’s 20,880 points made him the NBA’s career scoring leader at the time; he also had 12,849 rebounds and averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game. A Louisiana State star, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. The Hawks retired his No. 9, and LSU retired his No. 50.
