Basketball icon Bob Pettit, a dominant scorer and rebounder, has passed away at the age of 93. His alma mater, LSU, announced on Thursday that he died a day earlier, though a cause of death was not provided.
Pettit made history by earning the first NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1956 while playing for the St Louis Hawks. He also led the Hawks to their only NBA Championship in 1958, triumphing over the Boston Celtics.
Throughout his 11-season career, all spent with the Hawks franchise, Pettit was an All-Star every year. He secured a second league MVP award in 1959 and was named All-Star Game MVP four times, a feat matched only by Kobe Bryant.
Pettit retired after the 1964-65 season with career averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game. At the time of his retirement, he held the NBA record for total points with 20,880 and ranked second all-time in rebounds with 12,849. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.