Bob Pettit, the player who became the very first person to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, has died at age 93. He’s trending in searches today because of that news, so this article lays out exactly what’s been confirmed, plus the full story of his record-setting career, his family life, and what he did after basketball.
Background
Bob Pettit was one of professional basketball’s original superstars, playing his entire 11-year career for the Milwaukee and St. Louis Hawks between 1954 and 1965. Before Wilt Chamberlain, before Bill Russell’s rings piled up, and before the league was a national television event, Pettit was already proving that a 6-foot-9 forward could score like a guard and rebound like a giant.
He was the first player in NBA history to score more than 20,000 career points, finishing with 20,880. He won the league’s regular-season MVP award twice, and in 1956, he was the very first player to ever receive that honor, since the award didn’t exist before then. He led the Hawks to their only NBA championship in 1958, beating a Boston Celtics team that would go on to dominate the league for the rest of the decade.
People are searching his name today because major outlets, including the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame itself, confirmed his death on September 24, 2026. For longtime basketball fans, and for younger fans discovering him through NBA history lists, this is the reason “Bob Pettit” and “Bob Pettit Wikipedia” are trending right now.
Latest Update
As of September 24, 2026, here is what’s currently known:
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Bob Pettit has died at age 93. The news was independently reported by ESPN, the Boston Globe, and other major outlets on the same day, all citing the Hall of Fame’s announcement. No cause of death has been made public as of this writing, and that detail should be treated as unconfirmed until a family member, team, or official source states it directly.
Tributes have already come in from around the basketball world, remembering him as one of the first true superstars of the modern NBA era and a central figure in the Hawks’ only championship season. There is no confirmed information yet about funeral or memorial arrangements; that detail is unconfirmed as of today’s date and will likely be announced by his family or LSU/Hawks representatives in the coming days.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Robert Lee Pettit Jr. was born on December 12, 1932, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He wasn’t a natural star as a kid — he was cut from his high school varsity basketball team twice, as both a freshman and a sophomore. He grew five inches in less than a year after playing church-league ball, and his father pushed him to practice constantly in a neighbor’s backyard. By his senior year, he’d grown into a starter good enough to lead Baton Rouge High School to its first state championship in over 20 years.
Career Path
Pettit played three varsity seasons at LSU, where freshmen weren’t allowed to play at the time, and averaged 27.8 points per game across those years. He was picked second overall in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks and signed for $11,000, a rookie-record contract at the time, even though he reportedly had only $100 in the bank beforehand. He won Rookie of the Year in 1955, then helped move the franchise to St. Louis, where he became a two-time MVP, an 11-time All-Star in all 11 of his NBA seasons, and led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA title. After retiring in 1965, he spent 23 years in banking in Baton Rouge and Metairie, Louisiana, before co-founding a financial consulting firm, Equitas Capital Investors, from which he retired in 2006.
Age
Pettit was 93 years old at the time of his death, having been born on December 12, 1932, and having died on September 24, 2026.
Religion
Spouse/Partner
Pettit was married to his wife, Carole, who passed away in 2010. Together they had three children and, at last public count, ten grandchildren. No public information indicates he remarried after Carole’s death.
Net Worth
Parents
Pettit’s father was from Denver, Colorado, and had played basketball at Westminster College; he later served as Sheriff of East Baton Rouge Parish from 1932 to 1936 and was the one who pushed a young, undersized Pettit to keep practicing. His mother was from Mississippi. Neither parent’s first name is documented in the sources available for this article.
Height
Pettit was listed at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 meters) tall and weighed around 205 pounds (93 kg) during his playing career.
Education
Pettit attended Baton Rouge High School in Louisiana, where he eventually became a state champion despite being cut from the team twice earlier in his high school years. He then attended Louisiana State University (LSU) on a scholarship, one of 14 scholarship offers he received, and became a two-time consensus All-American there.
Hometown/State of Origin
Pettit was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and stayed closely tied to the city throughout his life, including his post-basketball banking career there. A street in Baton Rouge, Bob Pettit Boulevard, is named after him, and a bronze statue of him stands outside LSU’s home arena.
Official Social Media / Reference Link
Bob Pettit did not maintain a widely documented personal social media account. For verified, official biographical information, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame profile is the most authoritative public source: hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bob-pettit.
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert Lee Pettit Jr. |
| Born | December 12, 1932, Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Died | September 24, 2026, age 93 |
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| College | Louisiana State University (LSU) |
| NBA Draft | 1954, 1st round, 2nd overall — Milwaukee Hawks |
| NBA Career | 1954–1965, Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (11 seasons) |
| Career Stats | 20,880 points (26.4 ppg), 12,849 rebounds (16.2 rpg) |
| Major Honors | 2× NBA MVP, 1958 NBA Champion, 11× All-Star, Hall of Fame (1970) |
| Spouse | Carole Pettit (d. 2010) |
| Children/Grandchildren | 3 children, 10 grandchildren |
| Post-NBA Career | 23 years in banking; co-founder, Equitas Capital Investors |
Key Date: September 24, 2026 — Bob Pettit’s death confirmed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and reported by multiple major news outlets.
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Is Bob Pettit alive?
No. Bob Pettit died on September 24, 2026, at age 93, according to an announcement from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame that was confirmed by multiple major news outlets the same day.
How did Bob Pettit die?
As of this writing, no official cause of death has been made public. This detail is unconfirmed and will be updated if his family or an official representative releases more information.
Why was Bob Pettit famous?
Pettit was the first player ever named NBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time MVP overall, and the first player in NBA history to score more than 20,000 career points. He also led the St. Louis Hawks to their only NBA championship in 1958.
What team did Bob Pettit play for?
He played his entire 11-year NBA career, from 1954 to 1965, with the same franchise, first as the Milwaukee Hawks and then as the St. Louis Hawks after the team relocated in 1955.
Did Bob Pettit have a wife and kids?
Yes. He was married to his wife, Carole, until her death in 2010. The couple had three children together and, as of the most recent public information, ten grandchildren.
What college did Bob Pettit go to?
Pettit attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where he was a two-time consensus All-American and had his No. 50 jersey retired, becoming the first LSU athlete in any sport to receive that honor.
Wrap-Up
Bob Pettit’s career sits at an odd point in basketball history — early enough that most of today’s fans never saw him play, but influential enough that the game’s biggest modern stars still get compared to him when discussing rebounding, scoring efficiency, or sheer durability. Being the answer to “who was the first NBA MVP” alone would have made him a trivia-night name forever, but his stat lines back it up: eleven seasons, eleven All-Star selections, and averages that still hold up against anyone who has played the power forward position since.
What stands out just as much is what he did after his playing days ended. Rather than staying in basketball, he built a second career in banking and financial consulting that lasted longer than his time in the NBA. That’s a detail easy to miss in a highlight reel, but it says something about who he was away from the court.
As more details emerge about his passing, including any funeral arrangements or statements from his family, this article will be a starting point rather than a final word. For now, what’s certain is this: the NBA lost its first-ever MVP today, and Baton Rouge, LSU, and the Hawks organization lost one of their own.
