The basketball world has been left in mourning following the death of Bob Pettit – the NBA’s first-ever MVP – at the age of 93.
The tragic news was confirmed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in an emotional statement on Thursday afternoon.
It read: ‘The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame mourns the passing of Bob Pettit, a sleek, skilled big man who revolutionized the forward position during his career.
‘The 11-time NBA All-Star and 2-time MVP retired as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and left an enduring legacy.
‘He led the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship over the Boston Celtics. The Basketball Hall of Fame salutes this true giant of the game.’
During his time in the NBA, Pettit established himself as one of the most dominant forwards in professional basketball history.
The basketball world is in mourning following the death of NBA legend Bob Pettit
Pettit made history by becoming the inaugural winner of the NBA MVP award in 1956
Pettit retired in 1965 as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, having become the first player in league history to cross the 20,000-point milestone in November 1964
Selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the Milwaukee Hawks in the 1954 draft, Pettit made an immediate impact, capturing Rookie of the Year honors in 1955.
Just one season later, Pettit made history by becoming the inaugural winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1956, before claiming the honor again in 1959.
Pettit spent his entire 11-year professional career with the Hawks franchise across Milwaukee and St. Louis, earning an All-Star selection in every season he played.
His crowning achievement came in 1958, when he steered the Hawks past Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics to capture the franchise’s lone NBA championship.
Pettit retired in 1965 as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, having become the first player in league history to cross the 20,000-point milestone in November 1964.
Over 792 career games, he averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game – the third-highest career rebounding average in league history.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970, Pettit was also named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and remains one of only four players to feature on all four league anniversary teams (25th, 35th, 50th and 75th).
