Bob Pettit, who was named an All-Star in each of his 11 NBA seasons and was one of the greatest scorers and rebounders in league history, died, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame said Thursday.\n\nESPN News Services Sep 24, 2026, 05:24 PM ET NEW ORLEANS -- Bob Pettit, an imposing scorer and rebounder for the St. Louis Hawks and winner of the NBA's first MVP award in 1956, has died. He was 93. Pettit's alma mater, LSU, announced Thursday that he died a day earlier.

Pettit was an All-American at LSU before going on to the NBA, where he was an All-Star for each of his 11 seasons, all with the Hawks. He led them to the 1958 championship over the mighty Boston Celtics, the Hawks' lone title. He was also the NBA MVP in 1959 and was the MVP of the All-Star Game four times, an achievement matched only by Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.\n\nPettit was a force at a time when the NBA featured the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor.

At 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Pettit was a physical presence at power forward. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. On social media Thursday, the Hall of Fame called Pettit a "sleek, skilled big man who revolutionized the forward position," adding that he was a "true giant of the game.".