First NBA MVP Bob Pettit Dies at 93

National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Bob Pettit, the league’s first Most Valuable Player and first player to reach 20,000 career points, has died at age 93.

Pettit, an 11-time All-Star, retired as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and led the St. Louis Hawks to the championship in 1958 after defeating the Boston Celtics. He scored 50 points in the Hawks’ decisive 110-109 Game 6 victory. The franchise, now based in Atlanta, has not won another NBA championship.

Pettit was named the NBA’s MVP in 1956 and again in 1959.

The Basketball Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 1971, described Pettit as a major figure in the sport who helped reshape the forward position with his skill and athletic ability.

The NBA also highlighted his place in the league’s history, noting that he was its first MVP, first 20,000-point scorer and first player to win four All-Star Game MVP awards.

“He raised the bar for excellence as the league’s first MVP, first 20,000-point scorer and first four-time All-Star Game MVP,” said the NBA in a statement.

Louisiana State University, Pettit’s alma mater, announced on Thursday that he had died a day earlier.

The university said Pettit had helped define the modern power forward and established a standard of excellence that has been difficult to match.

It also noted that some of his achievements are less familiar to younger generations because his career began when television coverage was limited, and sports footage was not consistently preserved.

According to the university, Pettit combined finesse and physical strength in a way that made him extremely difficult for opponents to contain.