Bob Pettit, the Hall of Fame forward who became the NBA’s first Most Valuable Player and led the Hawks franchise to its only championship, has died at age 93.
LSU announced Pettit’s death Thursday, saying the former Tigers star died Wednesday. The university did not announce a cause of death. The NBA also paid tribute to Pettit, whose career helped define the early years of the league.
Pettit spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Hawks franchise, playing through its St. Louis era before the team later moved to Atlanta. He won the league’s inaugural MVP award in 1956 and earned the honor again in 1959. Pettit was selected as an All-Star in every season of his NBA career.
His defining team accomplishment came in the 1958 NBA Finals, when the St. Louis Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics. Pettit scored 50 points in the championship-clinching Game 6, securing what remains the franchise’s only NBA title.
His connection to the current Atlanta Hawks remains visible decades later. The franchise retired Pettit’s No. 9, and the Hawks joined the basketball community in remembering his career after news of his death. Before turning pro, Pettit starred at LSU and helped lead the Tigers to the 1953 Final Four.
Sources: LSU Athletics and NBA/AP, Sept. 24–25, 2026.
