Bob Pettit, the first man to receive the NBA’s MVP (most valuable player) award, has died aged 93.
Pettit won the award twice, in its first year in 1955-56 and again in 1958-59, when he topped the scoring charts in both seasons.
The Basketball Hall of Fame confirmed Pettit’s death, describing him as “a true giant of the game” and “a sleek, skilled big man who revolutionised the forward position during his career.”
He was also named an NBA All-Star in all 11 of his seasons and was the first player to reach 20,000 points.
“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.
Having starred for Louisiana State University (LSU), Pettit was signed by Milwaukee Hawks in the draft in 1954.
The team then moved to St Louis, and Pettit stayed with them for the rest of his career which included winning the NBA title in 1958 with victory over the Boston Celtics.
He reached two more finals with the Hawks in 1960 and 1961, and retired in 1965 with a career average of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game.
Pettit was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971 and had his number 50 jersey retired at LSU in 1954. He was the first of their athletes to ever receive the honor.
LSU paid tribute to Pettit on their website, saying: “Pettit defined what the modern power forward should be in the NBA and set standards that have been hard to duplicate in professional basketball.”
No cause of death was given.
Pettit helped the Hawks’ secure an NBA title by scoring 50 points in a final in 1958 [Getty Images]
He was the first LSU athlete to have a jersey number retired [Getty Images]
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