Bob Pettit, basketball Hall of Famer and NBA's first Most Valuable Player, dies at 93

Pettit won the NBA's first MVP award in 1956 and was the first player to eclipse 20,000 points in league history

Sep 24, 2026 at 6:22 pm ET • 1 min read

Bob Pettit, the first NBA player to score more than 20,000 points and the first recipient of the league's Most Valuable Player award, died on Wednesday at his home in Metairie, Louisiana, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced. He was 93.

"Dad passed away very peacefully at his home in Metairie, on Wednesday, September 23," the Pettit family said in a statement. "He was the most amazing father. The most kind, humble and gentle soul. We are so blessed to have him in our lives and we will miss him dearly."

The 6-foot-9 Pettit played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks and earned an All-Star nod in each of those seasons. He was a four-time All-Star Game MVP, a feat matched only by Kobe Bryant. Also a 10-time All-NBA honoree, Pettit twice won MVP, including the first time the league gave out the award in 1955-56. He then won MVP again in 1959. Pettit led the NBA in scoring in his two MVP seasons, averaging 25.7 points in 1955-56 and 29.2 points in 1958-59. In 1955, Pettit was named Rookie of the Year. 

Pettit, who led the Hawks to four NBA Finals appearances and a championship over the Boston Celtics in 1958, was named to the NBA's 25th, 35th, 50th and 75th-anniversary teams. For his career, Pettit averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as part of its class of 1971.

Before reaching the NBA as the No. 2 pick in the 1954 NBA Draft, Pettit starred at LSU, where he was a three-time All-SEC selection and a two-time All-American. During his senior season during the 1953-54 campaign, he averaged 31.4 points and 17.3 rebounds per game and led LSU to an SEC title.

Pettit's 31.4 points per game were an SEC record until Pete Maravich broke it in 1968, averaging 43.8 points per game that season.