Bob Pettit, LSU basketball legend and NBA Hall of Famer, dies at 93
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Bob Pettit, the original superstar of LSU basketball and a pioneering force in the NBA, has died.
Family members confirm Pettit, whose legal name was Robert Lee Pettit Jr., died yesterday, Sept 23, in Metairie.
He was 93 years old.
Pettit rewrote record books at both the collegiate and professional levels, cementing his legacy as one of the most dominant frontcourt players in basketball history.
A Baton Rouge native, Pettit was a standout at Baton Rouge High School before taking his talents down the road to Tiger Town.
A street is named after him in LSU’s Tigerland.
At LSU, Pettit was a three-time first-team All-SEC selection. He led the Tigers to a second-place conference finish in 1952, back-to-back SEC championships in 1953 and 1954, and the program’s first NCAA Final Four appearance in 1953.
According to LSU Athletics, Pettit led the SEC in scoring in all three of his varsity seasons, setting then-conference scoring records with 25.5 points per game in 1952, 24.9 in 1953, and 31.4 in 1954. During that same stretch, he dominated the boards, averaging 13.1 rebounds in 1952, 13.9 in 1953, and an LSU-record 17.3 in 1954.
Only two other players in LSU history—Pete Maravich and Chris Jackson—would go on to eclipse the 30-point scoring average barrier.
In 1954, LSU retired Pettit’s No. 50 jersey, marking the first time any athletic jersey in any sport was retired in Tiger Town.
Pettit entered the NBA as a first-round draft choice of the Milwaukee Hawks in 1954. He remained with the franchise for his entire 11-year career, moving with the team to St. Louis in 1955.
During his professional tenure, Pettit rewrote nearly every entry in the Hawks’ record book. He earned four NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, led the Hawks to five NBA Finals appearances, and propelled the franchise to the 1958 NBA Championship.
In 1964, Pettit made league history by becoming the first NBA player ever to surpass the 20,000 career points milestone.
Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. In 1997, he was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
The Basketball Hall of Fame released the following statement after Pettit’s passing:
Collis Temple, a former basketball player at LSU released a statement:
“I was like a younger brother and good friend to Bob Pettit,” Collis Temple said. “He was older, but played at LSU and always reached out and supported me. We stayed close, and he leaves behind a tremendous legacy on the LSU basketball brotherhood.”
Funeral arrangements are still pending.
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