Bob Pettit, Hall of Fame Basketball Player and Two-Time MVP, Passes Away at 93

Pettit, who was the first NBA player to score over 20,000 career points, was honored as an 11-time All-Star and retired as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. He led the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship against the Boston Celtics. The Hall of Fame commended him for revolutionizing the forward position, highlighting his remarkable legacy.

During his 11-year tenure with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks, Pettit won the Rookie of the Year award in 1955 and became the inaugural MVP in 1956, a title he won again in 1959. He was a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team and is one of only four players to make all four anniversary teams: 25th, 35th, 50th, and 75th. Additionally, Pettit made the All-Star team in every season he played, alongside legends such as Paul Arizin and Jerry West.

Pettit averaged 26.4 points per game over his career and remains the Hawks' all-time leader in rebounds with 12,849. His career average of 16.2 rebounds per game ranks third in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. He also holds the franchise record for free throws made and attempted and ranks in the top three for career games played, field goals, assists, and triple-doubles.

Notably, Pettit reached the milestone of 20,000 points on November 13, 1964, and received his only NBA championship in 1958. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.

Pettit attended LSU, where he was an All-American and helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Final Four in 1953. He was selected second overall in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks, and his jersey was retired by LSU that same year, marking the first retirement in the school's athletic history. His contributions to college sports were recognized when he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1973, and in 2016, a statue was erected in his honor at LSU's Maravich Center.

Despite facing early challenges in his basketball career, Pettit transformed into a celebrated player, sharing, "I never played basketball until I was a junior in high school... I practiced at night with a lamp in the window in my back bedroom, shooting baskets hour after hour. I just learned trial-and-error."