Bob Pettit, one of the defining big men in NBA history and a two-time league MVP, has died at age 93, the Naismith Hall of Fame announced.
Pettit’s place in the game was built on production that still jumps off the page. He retired in 1965 as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, piling up 20,880 points over 11 seasons.
That works out to 26.4 points per game, a mark that now ranks 10th all-time. On the glass, he was just as relentless: his 16.2 rebounds per game still sit third all-time, behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
A Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, Pettit starred at LSU before the Milwaukee Hawks made him the No. 2 pick in the 1954 draft. He made an immediate impact, winning Rookie of the Year and earning All-NBA First Team honors in 1954/55 after averaging 20.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 72 games.
When the Hawks moved to St. Louis in 1955, Pettit’s game reached another level.
He became the first MVP in league history in 1955/56, leading the NBA with 25.7 points per game while adding 16.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists across 72 contests. That season also brought the first of his four All-Star MVP awards.
Pettit’s biggest team achievement came in 1958, when he helped lead St. Louis past Boston for the championship after the Hawks had fallen to the Celtics in a seven-game Finals the year before.
In Game 6, a one-point title-clinching win, Pettit poured in 50 points, then a playoff record. That total remains the record for a Finals close-out victory, even after Giannis Antetokounmpo matched it in 2021.
The Celtics kept standing in Pettit’s way in the years that followed. St.
Louis reached the Finals again in 1960 and 1961, losing both times to Boston. Pettit did, however, claim his second scoring title and regular-season MVP in 1959.
His numbers at the line were a huge part of his scoring profile. Pettit was known as an elite offensive rebounder who also made a living at the stripe, and his 7.8 free throws made per game and 10.3 free throw attempts per game both rank second all-time.
Across his 11 NBA seasons, Pettit made 11 All-Star teams, landed on the All-NBA First Team 10 times, and was named to the second team once in his final season. He finished no worse than sixth in MVP voting from 1955 through 1964, and was top four in eight of those nine years.
Pettit is also one of only four players to be included on the NBA’s 25th, 35th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams, alongside Russell, Bob Cousy and George Mikan. The Hawks have retired his No. 9 jersey.
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