Bob Pettit

Robert Lee Pettit Jr. (born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, all with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks from 1954 to 1965.

In 1956, Pettit became the first recipient of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award, and he won the award a second time in 1959. He also won the NBA All-Star Game MVP award four times. He was the first NBA player to score more than 20,000 points. As of the end of the 2025–26 regular season, he remains the only regular season MVP in the history of the Hawks. He is the franchise's career leader in rebounds, with 12,849, and in rebounds per game, at 16.2.

Pettit was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970. He is one of four players named to all four NBA anniversary teams, and one of only two living members of that group as of 2025, along with Bob Cousy. His father, from Denver, played basketball at Westminster College.