NEW ORLEANS - Bob Pettit, the former St. Louis Hawks star who won the NBA’s first MVP award and later had his No. 9 retired by the Atlanta Hawks, has died at 93.
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Pettit’s alma mater, LSU, announced Thursday that he died a day earlier. The university did not provide a cause of death.
Pettit played 11 NBA seasons, all with the Hawks and made the All-Star team in every season.
He led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA title against the Boston Celtics, the franchise’s only championship.
Pettit also won the NBA MVP award in 1959 and earned All-Star game MVP honors four times.
He retired after the 1964-65 season with career averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds.
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At the time he retired, Pettit held the NBA career scoring record with 20,880 points and ranked second in rebounds with 12,849.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him in 1970.
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