Bob Pettit facts for kids
Pettit with the St. Louis Hawks in 1961
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1932 Baton Rouge, 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 | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 20,880 (26.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 12,849 (16.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,369 (3.0 apg) |
Robert E. Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He played for 11 seasons in the NBA. All his time was spent with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks from 1954 to 1965.
In 1956, Bob Pettit made history. He became the very first player to win the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award. He won this amazing award again in 1959. He also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award four times. This shows how great he was in special games too.
Pettit was the first NBA player to score more than 20,000 points in his career. This was a huge achievement! He was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. This means he is one of the best players ever. Many people think he is one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Start
Robert E. Lee Pettit Jr. was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 12, 1932. His basketball journey did not start easily. When he was a freshman and sophomore at Baton Rouge High School, he was cut from the main basketball team.
He played in a church league during his sophomore year. He also grew five inches in less than a year! His father, who was a sheriff, encouraged him to practice a lot. All that hard work paid off. Pettit became a starter and was named to the All-City team as a junior. As a senior, standing 6 feet 7 inches tall, he led Baton Rouge High to win its first state championship in over 20 years.
College Career at LSU
After high school, Pettit received scholarship offers from 14 universities. He chose to play at Louisiana State University (LSU), which was close to home. He was a top player for the LSU men's basketball team. He was chosen for the All-Southeastern Conference team three times. He was also named an All-American twice.
Pettit started playing for LSU in 1952. He was the top scorer in the SEC for three years in a row. In his first year, he scored 25.5 points per game. He also got 13.1 rebounds per game. His team finished second in the league.
In his junior year, Pettit helped the Tigers have a great season. They won 23 games and lost only one. LSU won its second SEC Title and reached the NCAA Final Four for the first time. He averaged 24.9 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. He was again selected for both the All-SEC and All-American teams.
During his senior year, Pettit averaged an amazing 31.4 points and 17.3 rebounds per game. He led LSU to another SEC Championship. He set a new SEC scoring record with 60 points in one game. He was also the second player in college basketball history to average over 30 points a game.
In 1954, LSU retired his number 50 jersey. He was the first athlete at LSU to receive this special honor. A street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, called Bob Pettit Boulevard, is named after him.
Professional Career with the Hawks
Joining the NBA
In 1954, the Milwaukee Hawks picked Bob Pettit second in the NBA draft. He signed a contract for $11,000, which was a lot of money for a rookie back then. At first, some people worried if he could play well in the NBA. His coach, Red Holzman, moved him from center to forward.
Even with these changes, Pettit quickly showed his talent. In 1955, he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. After his first season, the Hawks team moved to St. Louis.
Becoming an NBA Star
In their first year in St. Louis (1955–56), Pettit helped the Hawks win more games. He learned how to get to the free-throw line often. This helped him score easy points and cause foul trouble for his opponents. He was also great at getting offensive rebounds. He once said that offensive rebounds were worth "eight to 12 points a night" for him.
Pettit won his first scoring title, averaging 25.7 points per game. He also led the league in rebounding with 16.2 rebounds per game. He was named MVP of the 1956 NBA All-Star Game. He would win this All-Star Game MVP award three more times (1958, 1959, and 1962). He also won his first NBA regular season MVP award in 1956.
Before the 1956–57 season, the Hawks made some big trades. They got Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan from the Boston Celtics. They also added Slater Martin. These new players helped the team a lot. The Hawks made it to the NBA Finals in 1957. They played against the strong Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell. Pettit played incredibly well, scoring 37 points in Game 1. Even though they lost in a close Game 7, Pettit showed he was a true star.
Winning an NBA Championship
The Hawks had a great season in 1958, winning 41 games. They met the Boston Celtics again in the 1958 NBA Finals. This time, Pettit led the Hawks to win the NBA Championship! In the final Game 6, he scored a record-breaking 50 points. This was the most points ever scored in a Finals game to win the championship at that time.
For the 1958 season, Pettit averaged 24.6 points and 17.4 rebounds per game. He also won the All-Star Game MVP again. The Hawks continued to be a top team, winning their division for the next three seasons. In the 1958–59 season, Pettit's scoring average of 29.2 points per game was an NBA record. He was named the NBA MVP again.
In the 1960–61 season, Pettit averaged 27.9 points and an amazing 20.3 rebounds per game. He is one of only a few players in NBA history to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds in a season. On February 18, 1961, he scored a career-high 57 points in one game!
Pettit ended his career in 1965. He was still playing at a very high level. He was the first NBA player to score over 20,000 points in his career. His 12,849 rebounds were the second most in league history when he retired. His career average of 16.2 rebounds per game is still one of the best ever.
Pettit was chosen as an NBA All-Star in all 11 of his seasons. He was named to the All-NBA First Team ten times. He always averaged at least 20 points and 12 rebounds per game in every season he played.
In 1970, Bob Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of only four players to be named to all four NBA anniversary teams. This shows how truly special and impactful he was throughout NBA history.
Life After Basketball
After his basketball career, Bob Pettit worked in the banking industry for 23 years. Later, he moved into financial consulting. In 2006, he retired from a company he helped start.
He was married to his wife Carole, who passed away in 2010. He has three children and ten grandchildren.
Images for kids
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Pettit in 1951
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Pettit in 1962
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Pettit in 1957
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Pettit in 1958 after being named MVP of the All-Star Game
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Pettit as a member of the Hawks
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Pettit in 2013
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- 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
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 60 or more points in a game
