Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Bob Pettit was the NBA’s first true superstar power forward, combining relentless rebounding with an advanced scoring game that helped define the league’s early years. A two-time MVP and the driving force behind the St. Louis Hawks’ 1958 championship, he built a legacy as one of basketball’s original dominant franchise players.

Here are the details for Bob Pettit:

  • Full Name: Robert Lee Pettit Jr.
  • Nationality: American
  • DOB: Born December 12, 1932
  • Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
  • Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
  • Weight: 205 lbs (93 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 10 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 16 (US)
  • Number: Wore #9 throughout his NBA career
  • Position: Power Forward / Center
  • High School: Baton Rouge High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
  • College: Louisiana State University (LSU)
  • NBA Draft: Drafted 2nd overall in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Hawks
  • Teams Played For:
    • Milwaukee Hawks (1954–1955)
    • St. Louis Hawks (1955–1965)
      (The team moved from Milwaukee to St. Louis in 1955)
  • Career Highlights:
    • NBA Champion (1958)
    • 2× NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1956, 1959)
    • 11× NBA All-Star (1955–1965)
    • 4× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1956, 1958, 1959, 1962)
    • 10× All-NBA First Team (1955–1964)
    • NBA Rookie of the Year (1955)
    • Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970
    • Named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team
    • First player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points
    • Averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game over his career, making him one of the most dominant players in league history.
  • Post-Playing Career: After retiring, Bob Pettit worked in banking and finance and has remained a respected figure in the basketball community.
  • Championship Rings: 1 NBA Championship with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958, defeating the Boston Celtics in the Finals.
  • Kids: Pettit has three children, though their names are not widely publicized.
  • Siblings: Information on Pettit’s siblings is not widely available.

Bob Pettit’s player archetype was a relentless scoring and rebounding power forward who set the standard for frontcourt production during the NBA’s early years. Strongly built and remarkably durable, he attacked the glass with purpose, scored from the post and mid-range, and welcomed physical play. Pettit anchored his team’s interior defense through positioning and persistence, while his consistent scoring and rebounding made him the driving force behind the Hawks’ championship success and one of the league’s first true superstar forwards.

Scouting Report

Bob Pettit never waited for the game to come to him. He imposed himself on possessions through constant movement, relentless pursuit of position and an unusual willingness to attack the glass as though every missed shot belonged to him. What stands out is that he wasn’t a traditional low-post bruiser despite playing around the basket. He was just as comfortable catching near the elbows, facing up, taking one or two hard dribbles into space and rising into a high-release jumper before defenders could recover, and that versatility forced bigger defenders away from their comfort zone. Around the rim, he relied on timing, balance and repeat efforts rather than overwhelming size, frequently securing his own misses because he anticipated where the ball would come off the rim before everyone else reacted. As a passer, he wasn’t orchestrating an offense possession after possession, but he consistently made the next read once double teams arrived, swinging the ball quickly or finding cutters diving behind overcommitted help. Defensively, his impact came from activity and positioning. He rotated early from the weak side, challenged shots without chasing unnecessary blocks and finished defensive possessions by controlling the rebound instead of merely contesting the attempt. That’s an underrated part of his game. The trade-off was that defending highly skilled centers who wanted to play with their backs to the basket could become a physical battle, and he wasn’t naturally built to switch into space against quicker perimeter players for extended stretches. To me, his ideal role is as the featured scoring forward in an offense built around movement, interior touches and secondary actions, surrounded by guards who reward his rim runs and wings who punish defenses for collapsing toward him. The interesting thing is that his scoring often looked straightforward, but it was driven by outstanding anticipation and a willingness to win the same possession two or three times if necessary. Stylistically, there are shades of Karl Malone in the way he blended face-up scoring with relentless rebounding pressure, while his mid-range touch, interior physicality and habit of creating offense through effort and positioning also resemble Amar’e Stoudemire, although Pettit relied far more on skill, timing and second-effort finishes than pure explosiveness.