Overview
- Louisiana State University confirmed the death of Bob Pettit and the NBA issued an official statement mourning the Hall of Famer.
- Pettit was the league’s first officially named Most Valuable Player in 1956 and won the award again in 1959.
- He spent eleven NBA seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, led the team to the 1958 championship and scored 50 points in the deciding Game 6 of that Finals series.
- Pettit won the All‑Star Game MVP award four times, a mark later matched only by Kobe Bryant, and was one of the first big men to attack the basket facing it.
- The Hawks franchise is now based in Atlanta and the Hall of Fame and other institutions have highlighted Pettit’s lasting influence on how the power‑forward position is played.