Bob Pettit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bob Pettit

Pettit with the St. Louis Hawks in 1961
Personal information
Born	(1932-12-12)December 12, 1932 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	September 23, 2026(2026-09-23) (aged 93) Metairie, Louisiana, U.S.
High school	Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	LSU (1951–1954)
NBA Draft	1954 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Hawks
Pro career	1954–1965
Career history
1954–1965	Milwaukee / St. Louis Hawks
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (1958) 2× NBA Most Valuable Player (1956, 1959) 11× NBA All-Star (1955–1965) 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1956, 1958, 1959, 1962) 10× All-NBA First Team (1955–1964) All-NBA Second Team (1965) NBA Rookie of the Year (1955) 2× NBA scoring champion (1956, 1959) NBA rebounding leader (1956) NBA anniversary team (25th, 35th, 50th, 75th) No. 9 retired by Atlanta Hawks Consensus first-team All-American (1954) Consensus second-team All-American (1953) No. 50 retired by LSU Tigers
Career NBA statistics
Points	20,880 (26.4 ppg)
Rebounds	12,849 (16.2 rpg)
Assists	2,369 (3.0 apg)

Robert Lee Pettit Jr. was a famous American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association, known as the NBA. Pettit played for eleven exciting seasons from 1954 to 1965. During his entire pro career, he stayed with one team, the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks. He became the very first winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 1956. Pettit was chosen as the league MVP again in 1959. Fans loved watching him because he worked hard and never gave up. He was an NBA All-Star in all eleven seasons he played.

Pettit was the first player in NBA history to score over 20,000 career points. He was also an amazing rebounder who grabbed thousands of missed shots. Today, experts consider him one of the best players at the power forward position. In 1970, he entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of only four players on every single NBA anniversary team. This includes the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Early Life and Growing Up in Louisiana

Pettit in 1951

Robert Lee Pettit Jr. was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 12, 1932. His father served as a county sheriff in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. His dad came from Denver and had played college basketball at Westminster College. His mother was from the nearby state of Mississippi. Young Bob loved sports, but his basketball journey did not start easily. When he tried out for sports at Baton Rouge High School, he faced big disappointments. He was cut from the team as both a freshman and a sophomore.

Instead of quitting, Pettit chose to practice even harder to improve his skills. He played in a local church league and quickly grew five inches taller. His family house did not have a basketball hoop in the yard. His father encouraged him to practice every day at the neighbor's hoop. He shot hundreds of baskets until his shooting grew steady and dependable. His hard work paid off when he became a high school starter. By his senior year, he stood six feet and seven inches tall. He led Baton Rouge High to its first state championship in twenty years. After that victory, he played in an all-star game in Murray, Kentucky.

College Career with the LSU Tigers

Pettit's #50 was retired by Louisiana State University in 1954

After high school, fourteen colleges offered Pettit a sports scholarship. He chose to stay close to home at Louisiana State University. At that time, first-year students could not play on the main team. Pettit officially joined the varsity squad for the LSU men's basketball team in 1952. He was a great scorer right away in the tough SEC. He led the entire conference in scoring during each of his three college seasons. In his first year, he scored 25.5 points per game. He helped LSU achieve a fine 17–7 record and earned All-SEC honors.

During his junior year in 1953, Pettit led LSU on an incredible run. The Tigers won every regular season game except for one game against Tulsa. LSU won the conference title and reached the NCAA Final Four. Pettit averaged 24.9 points and almost 14 rebounds each game. He was named an All-American player for his fantastic play on the court. In his college days, Pettit also joined the student fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon.

As a senior, Pettit had one of the best college seasons ever seen. He scored an amazing 31.4 points and grabbed 17.3 rebounds every single game. In one game against Louisiana College, he scored sixty total points. That was an SEC scoring record until it was later broken by Pete Maravich. In 1954, LSU retired his jersey number 50 as a special tribute. He was the first athlete from LSU to receive this wonderful honor. Later, he joined the LSU Hall of Fame for his athletic achievements. The city of Baton Rouge even named a street called Bob Pettit Boulevard.

Entering the NBA with the Milwaukee Hawks

Pettit in 1962

In the 1954 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Hawks selected Pettit as the second pick. The Baltimore Bullets had picked Frank Selvy with the first overall selection. Pettit was not sure if he wanted to play professional basketball at first. His relative, an NBA player named Frank Brian, told him to try it. Pettit signed a contract with Hawks owner Ben Kerner for $11,000. That salary was a record amount of money for a rookie back then.

College centers usually played with their backs toward the basketball hoop. In pro basketball, opponents were much heavier, stronger, and more physical. Hawks coach Red Holzman moved Pettit from the center spot to forward. This meant Pettit had to face the basket when shooting the ball. Pettit practiced extra hours every day to learn his new forward position. His hard work showed immediately during the 1954–55 season. Pettit scored 20.4 points per game and won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He became a star, but the Milwaukee Hawks finished in last place. After that difficult season, the franchise moved and became the St. Louis Hawks.

Championship Glory and MVP Awards

Pettit in 1957

In their new city, Pettit and his team improved during the 1955–56 season. Pettit learned clever ways to score points and help his team win. He chased every missed shot to get offensive rebounds near the rim. He also drove past defenders to earn trips to the free-throw line. Pettit won the league scoring title by averaging 25.7 points per game. He was also the league rebounding leader with 16.2 rebounds each night. Pettit was named the MVP of the 1956 NBA All-Star Game in Rochester. Even better, the league chose him as the very first NBA regular season MVP.

Before the next season, the Hawks made big trades to get stronger. They traded the draft rights of center Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics. In return, the Hawks received stars Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan. They also added talented guard Slater Martin from the New York Knicks. Later, coach Alex Hannum took charge of the team as a player-coach. During the 1956–57 season, the Hawks reached the NBA Finals. In Game 1 at the famous Boston Garden, Pettit scored 37 points. The series went all the way to a thrilling Game 7 double-overtime finish. Pettit scored 39 points, but Boston won the championship by two points.

Pettit in 1958 after being named MVP of the All-Star Game

The Hawks came back hungrier during the 1957–58 season. Pettit won the MVP award at the 1958 NBA All-Star Game with 28 points. St. Louis won forty-one games and returned to the 1958 NBA Finals. They faced their rivals, the Boston Celtics, in another dramatic showdown. In Game 6, Pettit played the best basketball game of his entire life. He scored an incredible fifty points to clinch the NBA title. That stood as an NBA Finals record until matched by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2021 Finals. Pettit and his teammates celebrated as proud champions of the basketball world.

Pettit kept playing at an elite level in the 1958–59 season. He won his second scoring crown with a record 29.2 points per game. Pettit won the 1959 NBA All-Star Game MVP award alongside Elgin Baylor. He also earned his second regular season MVP trophy and the Sporting News award. The Hawks finished at the top of the Western Division for several years. Pettit proved that constant hustle and teamwork produce great results.

Setting Records as an All-Time Great

Pettit as a member of the Hawks

During the 1960–61 season, Pettit achieved another historic sports milestone. He averaged 27.9 points and grabbed 20.3 rebounds per game. He is one of only five players to collect over twenty rebounds per game. Only Pettit, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry Lucas, and Nate Thurmond averaged twenty points and twenty rebounds together. In February 1961, Pettit scored a personal career-high 57 points against Detroit.

Pettit played in the 1962 NBA All-Star Game and won his fourth All-Star MVP trophy. That record for All-Star MVPs was later tied by superstar Kobe Bryant. Pettit also briefly served as an interim coach during the 1961–62 season. He led the team to four wins in six games while still playing. In every single year of his pro career, Pettit was an All-Star. He was voted to the All-NBA First Team ten times in a row. He made the All-NBA Second Team in his final season on the court.

Pettit retired from professional basketball following the 1964–65 season. When he retired, he had scored an unbelievable total of 20,880 points. He was the first player in NBA history to pass 20,000 points. Nearly thirty percent of his total points came from making free throws. He also pulled down 12,849 rebounds during his wonderful eleven-year career. Only legends Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell averaged more rebounds per game. Retired star Alex Groza and Pettit are the only players averaging twenty points every season.

Life After Basketball and Legacy

Pettit in 2013

After leaving the basketball court, Pettit started a successful business career. He worked in the banking industry in Louisiana for over twenty years. Later, he worked in financial consulting and helped build an investment firm. He retired from his business career in 2006 to spend time with family. Pettit was married to his wife Carole until she passed away in 2010. They had three children and ten grandchildren who loved him dearly. Pettit passed away peacefully on September 23, 2026, at age 93.

Basketball fans celebrate Pettit because he proved that determination brings success. He was cut from his high school team, yet became an NBA champion. Pettit was honored on the NBA 25th Anniversary Team and the NBA 35th Anniversary Team. He was named among the greatest players alongside superstars like Bob Cousy and George Mikan. His famous number 9 jersey hangs proudly retired by the Atlanta Hawks. His life shows that hard work can turn setbacks into world-class achievements.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season Play

Playoff Games

See also

In Spanish: Bob Pettit para niños

• List of NBA career scoring leaders
• List of NBA franchise career scoring leaders
• List of NBA career rebounding leaders
• List of NBA annual rebounding leaders
• List of NBA single-game playoff scoring leaders