By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Bob Pettit passed away peacefully on Wednesday at his home in Metairie, Louisiana, at the age of 93.
He spent his entire 11-year NBA career between 1954 and 1965 with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks after being drafted second overall out of Louisiana State. Pettit won the league’s first Most Valuable Player award in 1956 and claimed it again in 1959. An All-Star in every season of his career, he won four All-Star Game MVP awards, a record tied only by Kobe Bryant. His signature moment came in the 1958 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, where he scored 50 points in Game 6 to secure the championship, a closeout record matched by Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. He retired in 1965 as the first player to reach 20,000 career points, averaging 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Pettit’s family heritage included English, Irish, and Scots-Irish ancestry, along with distant French-Canadian roots. He stayed local for college, becoming a two-time All-American at LSU and leading the Tigers to their first Final Four in 1953.
His career earned him a spot on all four NBA Anniversary Teams and a 1970 induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Later in life, he often expressed amazement at how much basketball had grown globally, noting that he regularly received fan mail and autograph requests from kids throughout Europe, particularly from France and Germany.
Following his passing, the Atlanta Hawks remembered him as a true ambassador whose No. 9 jersey hangs proudly in their arena, while the NBA honored the pioneer who redefined his position. The Naismith Hall of Fame praised his unmatched resolve, and his family shared heartfelt words describing him as an amazing father and a kind, humble soul.
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