NBA's first-ever MVP award winner Bob Pettit dies
Bob Pettit, the first player in NBA history to win the league's Most Valuable Player award, has died. He spent his entire 11-season career with the St. Louis Hawks and won an NBA championship in 1958.
Bob Pettit, the first player in NBA history to receive the Most Valuable Player award, has died.
The power forward entered the NBA in the 1954-55 season, when he was named Rookie of the Year. The following season he became the league's first-ever MVP, leading the NBA in scoring with an average of 25.7 points per game.
Career highlights
Pettit again led the league in scoring in 1959, averaging 29.2 points per game, and was named MVP for a second time. He was also named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game four times, a mark later matched only by Kobe Bryant.
Pettit was selected to the All-Star Game in all 11 of his NBA seasons. He ended his career in 1965 averaging 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, figures that at the time ranked first in league history in both categories.
Pettit spent his entire career with the St. Louis Hawks, with whom he won the NBA championship in 1958, defeating the Boston Celtics in the finals. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.
