Bob Pettit

Robert Lee Pettit, Jr.


Born:
December 12, 1932
Baton Rouge, LA

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Career
1948-49 Baton Rouge High School - Louisiana (High School)
1949-50 Baton Rouge High School - Louisiana (High School)
1950-51 Louisiana State University (College) Freshmen
1951-52 Louisiana State University (College)
1952-53 Louisiana State University (College)
1953-54 Louisiana State University (College)
1954-55 Milwaukee Hawks (NBA)
1955-56 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1956-57 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1957-58 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1958-59 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1959-60 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1960-61 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1961-62 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1962-63 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1963-64 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)
1964-65 St. Louis Hawks (NBA)

NATIONAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, 1971

With a slim 6'9 frame, Bob Pettit went from LSU star to an 11-year career that saw him as one of the most effective scoring threats the NBA has ever seen.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Robert and Mary Pettit, young Bob didn't take to the sport right away, failing to make the high school team at first. Before his junior year, his dad, formerly the Sheriff of the East Baton Rouge Parish, pushed him to keep working at it. His work ethic, coupled with a growth spurt of five inches, got him on the school team in his junior year and he was named all-City. In his senior year, he lead the school to their first state championship.

Pettit received many scholarship offers, but chose to stay in state and go to LSU. A starter for all three years of varsity basketball, Pettit was twice named All-American as he average just under 28 points per game.  As a senior, he was the second play in major college history to average over 30 points in a season.

Pettit was selected second overall in the 1954 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Hawks. He moved from center to forward, and the hapless Hawks would see their fortunes improve as Pettit would win Rookie of the Year honors. The team moved to St. Louis the following season, and the team kept improving and in 1957 would win their first NBA championship. Pettit was in his prime, finishing regularly near the top of the league in scoring and rebounding and being a thorn in the side of the men he defended against.

Pettit would play 11 seasons with the Hawks, retiring in 1965. He had been named to the All-Star team every season he played, being selected as the All-Star Game MVP four times as well as being named the league's MVP twice. He lead the league in scoring twice, and at his retirement held the career points record with 20,880 (at the time I write this, he is in 43rd place in career points now, but his average of 26.4 points per game for his career is good for 8th place all-time).

After retiring from basketball, Pettit went to work in banking and later as a financial advisor as a co-founder of Equitas Capitol Investors. He was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and was one of the NBA's 50 greatest players selected for the NBA's 50 Anniversary celebration.

Pettit married Carol Crowell in 1965 (d. 2010) and they had three children.

Source:


Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pettibo01.html
https://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=pettibo01