Bob Pettit
The St. Louis Icon Who Challenged Laker Greatness Without Ever Wearing Purple and Gold
Bob Pettit never donned Purple and Gold, yet his legacy echoes through Lakers history from the Minneapolis era. While he spent his entire legendary career with the St. Louis (and Milwaukee) Hawks as their first superstar, he stands as one of the franchise's most formidable rivals during its formative years.
- Primary Affiliation
- St. Louis/Milwaukee Hawks
- Lakers Career Status
- Never Played
- Historical Rivalry Era
- 1950s Minneapolis/St. Louis Lakers vs. Hawks
- NBA All-Star Appearances
- 11
Lore & Background
Pettit’s legacy is anchored by the Hawks' sole championship victory in 1958, where his team finally toppled the Boston Celtics. Throughout that decade, however, he remained a formidable obstacle for the Lakers, forcing Minneapolis to constantly adapt defensive schemes against his unique blend of scoring and rebounding prowess. Though he never wore their jersey, Pettit defined the level of competition that shaped the modern NBA during the franchise's earliest chapters.
In Their Own Story
The wooden floorboards groaned under the weight of the Minneapolis crowd’s roar for George Mikan, but the arena’s focus shifted to the man in the white Hawks jersey. Bob Pettit caught a pass at the elbow, his eyes locked on the rim. He drove hard into the paint, absorbing contact from a Lakers defender before banking the shot home. The whistle blew, and as he walked back down the court, the tension was palpable—a clash of styles that defined an era long before the franchise moved to California.
Reader's Guide
Bob Pettit played his entire career (1954–1965) with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks, never joining the Lakers organization. He revolutionized the power forward role by combining elite scoring with dominant rebounding, averaging over 26 points and 16 rebounds per game for his career—a standard of consistency that remains unmatched.
His crowning achievement arrived in 1958 when he led the St. Louis Hawks to their only NBA Championship, defeating the Boston Celtics in a grueling seven-game series. Pettit was named the Finals MVP (retroactively awarded) and is one of only two players in history to win the league's first-ever Most Valuable Player award twice.
While he never played for the Lakers, his legacy as a fierce rival during the Minneapolis era remains significant. He forced the Lakers' legends to elevate their game constantly. Today, Pettit stands as an NBA 75th Anniversary Team member and a Hall of Famer whose statistical dominance set the standard for big men in the decades that followed.
Did You Know?
- Bob Pettit was the first player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points.
- He won two Most Valuable Player awards (1956 and 1959), a feat not matched until Bill Russell later in the decade.
- Pettit led his team to the NBA Finals three times, winning once in 1958 against Boston, but never faced the Lakers in the Finals.
- The NBA's All-Star Game MVP award was named the 'Bob Pettit Award' in his honor in 1976.