NBA legend Bob Pettit, first MVP and 1958 champion, dies at 93

Bob Pettit, a 6-foot-9 forward who pioneered playing facing the basket, passed away at 93, with LSU confirming the news. An All-American at LSU, he entered the NBA and spent his entire 11-year career with the Hawks, earning an All-Star selection every season and leading the franchise to its sole championship in 1958 against the Boston Celtics. He captured the league MVP award in 1959 and was a four-time All-Star Game MVP, a record later tied by Kobe Bryant.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 1970, and his jerseys are retired by both LSU and the Atlanta Hawks. After retiring, he returned to Baton Rouge, worked in banking and financial consulting, and remained a regular presence at LSU and New Orleans Pelicans games. Bronze statues of Pettit and Shaquille O’Neal now stand outside LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center.