Former National Basketball Association star Bob Pettit of Baton Rouge, Lousiana passed away on Wednesday at the age of 93 according to the Associated Press. Pettit was primarily a power forward for the St. Louis Hawks from 1955 to 1965, and was considered one of basketball’s first superstars.
Pettit won numerous individual basketball awards. While with the Milwaukee Hawks, he was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1954-55. Pettit then remained with the Hawks when the franchise relocated to St. Louis, and was the NBA MVP in 1955-56, and again in 1958-59. Pettit’s other notable achievement with the Hawks was winning the 1958 NBA Finals. In six games, the Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics for games to two.
In 792 games, Pettit averaged 26.4 points per game and 16.2 rebounds per game. He also averaged three assists per game, had a field goal percentage of .436, and a free throw percentage of .761. Pettit also led the NBA in many single season offensive categories. They included points per game in 1955-56 (25.7), points per game in 1958-59 (29.2), field goals per game in 1955-56 (nine), field goals per game in 1956-57 (8.6), field goals per game in 1958-59 (10), free throws per game in 1958-59 (9.3) and free throws per game in 1962-63 (8.7).
Pettit was also known for his rebounding. He led the NBA with 1164 rebounds in 1955-56, and is still the Hawks’s all-time leader in rebounds with 12849.
In his NBA career, Pettit was the first player ever to record 20,000 points. He finished with 20880 points and is 50th on the all-time scoring list.
While with the St. Louis Hawks, Pettit was the teammate of two players who went on to be legendary coaches. They were Lenny Wilkens and Paul Silas.
Pettit’s number nine was retired by the Atlanta Hawks. In 1970, Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
At the collegiate level, Pettit played for Louisiana State University. He was the second overall pick in the 1954 NBA Draft. The only player selected ahead of Pettit was Frank Selvy of Corbin, Kentucky by the Baltimore Bullets.
