Bob Pettit cause of death: What did the first NBA MVP die of at age 93?

The NBA is mourning the death of Bob Pettit at the age of 93 . He is considered one of the greatest power forwards of all time and one of the first media stars of American basketball. "Probably the fiercest competitor who ever played," Bill Russell once said , the man who won 11 rings with the Celtics.

Pettit, at 2.06 meters, played 11 seasons in the League (1954-65), all of them with the Hawks when they were first in Milwaukee and then in St. Louis . An insatiable rebounder and tireless scorer, he was known as "The Baton Rouge Bomber." His 20,880 points were the highest total when he retired. He now ranks 50th, just behind Pau Gasol. He led the competition on two occasions, was an 11-time All-Star, and in the history books he appears as the first MVP . He took home the first award back in 1956. He would repeat three years later as well. In his 792 NBA games, he averaged 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds .

Since then, no other Hawks player has been able to win the NBA regular-season MVP. And it is not the only achievement Pettit still holds in the franchise. He is also its all-time leading rebounder (12,849) and the player with the highest rebounding average (16.2 per game) . The legendary power forward was the first player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points . All those accomplishments earned him induction into the Hall of Fame in 1970.

Paradoxically, Pettit's beginnings in basketball were not easy. At Baton Rouge High School, he was cut from the basketball team in his first two years , having to play in his church's competition. Everything changed when in less than a year he grew 12 centimeters , and in his senior year he led his high school to its first state championship in more than 20 years.

His fame spread among the Universities and there were 14 that sent him offers. He chose Louisiana State University (LSU). There he became a legend after averaging 27.8 points per game in the three years he remained there . In his final season he posted averages of 31.4 points and 17.3 rebounds. His number 50 would be retired.

In 1954, the Hawks, then based in Milwaukee, selected him second overall in the NBA draft , behind only Frank Selvy, who was selected by the Baltimore Bullets. Pettit's first NBA contract, worth $11,000, was the largest of its time for a rookie . He was Rookie of the Year with averages of 20.8 points and 13.8 rebounds. In none of his 11 professional seasons did he drop below 20+12 .

An extraordinary consistency that the Hawks enjoyed, whom he made champions in 1958. It is the only title in the franchise's history . Had he not run into the Celtics' dictatorship, Pettit might have had a few more. What remains to be remembered is his competitiveness, his astonishing statistics, and the very first MVP ever .