Bob Pettit Remembered After Death at 93: From LSU Star to NBA’s First MVP

Bob Pettit, the legendary LSU star and pioneering NBA great, died Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 93, closing the life of one of the most influential players of basketball’s formative professional era. His family said he died peacefully at his home in Metairie, Louisiana, and remembered him as a kind, humble, gentle father. For Louisiana basketball fans and generations of NBA followers, his death marks a lasting figure whose accomplishments helped establish standards that shaped the sport for decades.

Pettit’s cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. LSU announced his death and said he passed away Wednesday, while the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame mourned him without publicly releasing a cause. That uncertainty should remain clear rather than being replaced by speculation. Funeral arrangements were still pending in LSU’s latest announcement. What is established is the scale of Pettit’s career and the enduring place he holds in LSU, NBA and basketball history.

Born in Baton Rouge, Pettit stayed close to home when he chose LSU, where he starred from 1951 through 1954. He helped lead the Tigers to their first NCAA Final Four appearance in 1953 and became a consensus All-American. LSU retired his No. 50 jersey, which the university says became the first jersey number retired in any LSU sport. He led the Southeastern Conference in scoring during all three varsity seasons and remains one of the school’s basketball figures.

The Milwaukee Hawks selected Pettit second overall in the 1954 NBA Draft, beginning an 11-season career spent entirely with the franchise, which moved to St. Louis. He won Rookie of the Year in 1955 and became the NBA’s first Most Valuable Player in 1956. He won the award again in 1959, made the All-Star team in every season of his career, and was selected as All-Star Game MVP four times. In 1958, he led the Hawks to their championship over Boston.

Pettit retired after the 1964-65 season having established statistical marks that reflected his combination of scoring, rebounding and durability. He finished with 20,880 points and 12,849 rebounds, numbers that made him the NBA’s career scoring leader and second-highest rebounder when he retired. He averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds over his career. The Hall of Fame credits him with helping redefine the power-forward position, particularly through a style that combined interior strength with facing the basket.

His honors continued long after his playing career. Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970, and he was later recognized among the players represented on the NBA’s anniversary teams. LSU also honored him with a statue at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in 2016. His No. 9 was retired by the Hawks, and his legacy remained closely tied to both Louisiana and the franchise he helped define.

Bob Pettit leaves a basketball legacy stretching from Baton Rouge to the NBA’s earliest championship era. He played before professional basketball had the television reach it would later gain, yet his achievements became part of the league’s foundation. His two MVP awards, 11 All-Star selections, four All-Star Game MVPs, 1958 championship and record-setting scoring career tell part of that story. His influence on the power-forward position tells another. For LSU, Louisiana and basketball fans nationwide, Pettit’s death closes the chapter on a career while preserving a legacy woven into the sport’s history.