Bob Pettit, NBA's First MVP, Dies at 93
Bob Pettit, the first winner of the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, has died at the age of 93.
The Basketball Hall of Fame confirmed his death and described Pettit as "a true giant of the game," BBC.
Louisiana State University, where Pettit starred in college, said he died on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. No cause of death was given, Yahoo Sports reported.
Pettit came out of LSU as a standout forward and entered the NBA when the Milwaukee Hawks drafted him in 1954. He stayed with the Hawks for the rest of his playing career. That run included the franchise's move from Milwaukee to St. Louis.
He made history fast. The MVP award, given to the league's best player for that season, was introduced for 1955-56. Pettit won it. He won it again in 1958-59. He finished both of those seasons as the NBA's scoring leader.
The biggest team prize came between those MVP years. In 1958, Pettit and the Hawks beat the Boston Celtics to win the NBA title. St. Louis got back to the Finals in 1960 and 1961, but did not win another championship.
The consistency never slipped. Pettit was selected as an All-Star in all 11 of his seasons. The All-Star Game is the league's midseason showcase for its top players. He never missed.
He also set a scoring benchmark. Pettit became the first NBA player to reach 20,000 career points. It was a mark of both volume and longevity in an era with shorter schedules and fewer games than today.
He retired from playing in 1965. His final career averages were 26.4 points per game and 16.2 rebounds per game. A rebound is credited when a player recovers a missed shot, so the second number speaks to his work inside as much as his scoring.
What makes this stand out is how complete the resume looks all at once. Two MVPs. Scoring titles in both MVP seasons. A championship against a Celtics team that defined the era. Eleven years, eleven All-Star selections, and a first-of-its-kind scoring milestone.
