r/nba • u/PassMeTheBackwood Knicks • 6d ago
[Basketball HOF] The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame mourns the passing of Bob Pettit, a sleek, skilled big man who revolutionized the forward position during his career. The 11-time NBA All-Star and 2-time MVP retired as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and left an enduring legacy.
Source: https://imgur.com/a/IMZXAxc
[Basketball HOF] The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame mourns the passing of Bob Pettit, a sleek, skilled big man who revolutionized the forward position during his career. The 11-time NBA All-Star and 2-time MVP retired as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and left an enduring legacy. He led the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship over the Boston Celtics. The Basketball Hall of Fame salutes this true giant of the game.
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u/Weary-Bonus-1552 6d ago
This guy beat Russell in the finals, same guy who won 11 rings in 13 years. Extremely underrated player, RIP
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u/Ariesthebigram Raptors 6d ago
Up until now, he was one of the oldest living Hall of Famers. The oldest living one: still Bob Cousy, who turned 98 years young last month
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u/Ld511 Bulls 6d ago
Its kinda forgotten how young the nba is and how lucky the sport is to have its legends live so long. Like until 2015 wilt was the only mvp to pass away and kobe was only the third in a league which such tall and genetic freaks is crazy, sadly its getting to the point where thw early history guys are now reaching their time
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u/Eastern-Musician4533 6d ago
When the NBA did its Top 50 celebration in 1996, Pistol Pete was the only deceased player (heart attack). The 75 list had lost, like, 20 (and some couldn't make it due to health reasons).
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u/dennythedinosaur 6d ago
I did a quick search off the top of my head.
Wayne Embry and Bailey Howell both still alive at 89.
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u/Diamond4Hands4Ever Warriors 6d ago
Cliff Hagan, who was Bob Pettit’s teammate for many years, is still alive at 94.
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u/MrShake4 76ers 6d ago
TIL: Bob Cousy is still alive
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u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 6d ago
He said this quite a couple years back before the Celtics got 18. Hell of a quote.
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u/TrevorArizaFan Hornets 6d ago
There’s a very funny clip from a few years back where he called into Boston sports radio to shit on JJ Redick’s claim that guys in the 1960s played against “firemen and plumbers”.
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u/MeddlingMike Celtics 6d ago
Broke up a possible 10-peat and forced the Celtics to settle for a pathetic 8-peat and 11 ‘ships in 13 years. It is our shame as Celtics fans to bear…
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u/MeddlingMike Celtics 6d ago
Definitely one of those “lost to history” sorta guys. Arguably the greatest Hawks player of all time. Not his fault that he came before Russell/Wilt and the franchise he won a chip and played his whole career with eventually settled in Atlanta. He was an important star to a fledgling NBA that was on uncertain footing. He built the foundation. RIP Bob.
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
Frankly the only argument is that he's not an Atlanta Hawk, so fans of the franchise don't know about him as much. His resume is way crazier than Nique's and that's saying something.
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u/MeddlingMike Celtics 6d ago
I’d say there’s an argument revolving around writing off/diminishing accomplishments from that era. It’s the same reason why people don’t put Russell above Jordan despite 11 rings > 6 rings and 5 MVPs each.
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
2 MVPs, Rookie of the Year, 1 Championship, 10 first team All-NBA appearances, 11 All-NBA appearances, 4 Finals appearances. Had to go through absolute scrubs like:
Bill Russell
Bob Cousy
Elgin Baylor
Jerry West
Sure, Dominique wasn't capable of even getting out of the 2nd round and was a 1st round exit for almost his entire career. But he did it on tv, so that actually makes it way better.
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u/MeddlingMike Celtics 6d ago
Dont disagree. Just rehashing the argument that comes up every single time somebody suggests on here that Russell does/doesn’t belong in the GOAT discussion.
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u/DaExtinctOne Jeremy Lin 6d ago
With passings like these, it realy goes to show how our league is still so young compared to other sports like football and baseball. Just the past couple of years we've lost old school legends Russell, West and Elgin, now Bob Pettit. RIP.
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u/Ld511 Bulls 6d ago
And the fact that being that tall already is often a big disadvantage in living long
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u/MassSwingers 6d ago
I was actually think how many 6 ft 9 people in history have lived to age 93. Surely can’t be a huge number
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u/Sikkly290 Suns - Fuck Miles Bridges 6d ago
I think being tall goes one of two ways, either you have some sort of health condition that makes life miserable and you probably die young, or you are a freak specimen. Vast majority of NBA players are on the freak specimen side of things, so don't have the health issues.
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u/SportsDuck_ 6d ago
Yeah this would be like Cy Young or Ty Cobb or Rogers Hornsby dying for the MLB.
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u/Sweden13 Pelicans 6d ago
Excellent player. I got big into 50's basketball a few years ago, and he's one of the players I spent a lot of time looking into. He truly got the short end of the stick- he was a 20-20 double-double machine, a bruising physical forward with a shooting touch. He was an elite player to the very end, retiring early to go pursue a job working in a bank. Because of that, I think people subconsciously place him with the Mikans of the era instead of the Russels/Baylors/Wilts.
However, as with all things, Pettit had the dark cloud of racism over his career. I've read his autobiography, and his framing really doesn't do him many favors, but I do think it's an unfortunately more nuanced deal than a lot of people have carried out. He doubtlessly played a part in the blackballing of Cleo Hill, and its been suggested that he helped push Fred LaCour out of the league as well. Whether it comes down just playing time or racial motivations is anyone's guess, but forgive me if I assume that Robert E Lee Pettit Jr of Louisiana in the 1930's had racial prejudices, and his co-runner, Clyde Lovelette, was a lot more blatant with it.
However, I don't want to strictly disparage him on this count. He was an NBA representative for decades afterwards, and has given plenty of praise to guys like Karl Malone, Wilt, Elgin Baylor and KD. Some black teammates on the Hawks noted how supportive he was, and iirc, Russell said he was the first one to ever call his grandfather "sir." He's a complicated case that is really easy to throw in one bucket, and that was one of the defining narratives for his career.
Overall, RIP to another legend of NBA history, and one of the great power forwards of all time.
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u/musthavesoundeffects Supersonics 6d ago
The best possible scenario for someone raised in racism is to learn and grow out of it. If it was easy to do the world would be a lot different, and we need to applaud those who can make the change.
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u/VitruvianDude Trail Blazers 6d ago
Lenny Wilkins, who scaled the heights as a player and a coach, was drafted by the Hawks in 1960. As a biracial man, he definitely felt the racism on the team in general.
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u/throwawayjoeyboots 6d ago
Wow. I assumed he had died years ago.
The man who brought the Hawks franchise its only championship in like 85 years of existence or something.
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
I think Cousy and Richie Guerin are the two oldest Hall of Famers still alive.
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u/Diamond4Hands4Ever Warriors 6d ago
It goes Cousy, then Cliff Hagan, and then Richie Guerin for top 3. Hubie Brown (not as a player but contributor) is after that. Oscar Robertson is also close to the top 5.
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u/itgoesdownandup 6d ago
Has anyone actually interviewed these legends recently to ask about their thoughts on the evaluation of the game or even just their thoughts on the present? Toss Petit and Russell to since if there has been interviews both of those guys would have had recent ones.
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u/sgtpepperslaststand Cavaliers 6d ago
Guerin was at the Knicks game when they won the title which is insane
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
I didn't catch that he made it out to a game, that's pretty cool.
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u/sgtpepperslaststand Cavaliers 6d ago
They showed him on screen and I was like holy shit he’s alive? And he’s able to walk? And go to games?
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u/CazOnReddit Raptors 6d ago
RIP Robert E Lee Petit
Yes, that is his real legal name
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u/IanicRR [TOR] Amir Johnson 6d ago edited 6d ago
Thankfully unlike the guy he was named after, Pettit was one of the white dudes of the era who supported black players and was an ally.
And on those Hawks teams, that was an extremely rare commodity.
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u/CazOnReddit Raptors 6d ago
Hell, those Hawks teams and St Louis being as racist a city as it was (is? I can't claim to know what it's like in 26) is why Bill Russell ended up in the trade to the Celtics
That and the Kings being the Kings with the first overall pick (Then-the Royals but I digress)
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u/p_pio 6d ago
Tbf there's decent chance that Hawks didn't have real shot at Russell and rather just agreed for a deal between Celtics and Royals while getting some good players from Celtics thanks to that.
Supposedly Royals were on verge of bankruptcy and Celtics owner promised their owner few Ice Capades in their arena providing financial injection if they'll pass on Russell.
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u/BCP27 [MIN] Robbie Hummel 6d ago edited 6d ago
St. Louis is pretty black, but I can't say for sure cause I'm a white guy and I've only lived here a few years.
Edit: I say this to mean that I don't think it's very racist in the city itself.
Edit 2: Yeah I shouldn't have opened my mouth. Not at all qualified to offer insight on this topic
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u/stevethepirate808 Trail Blazers 6d ago
This is a very St. Louis white guy way of saying what you are trying to say. A truly great answer to the question in its own way really.
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u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 6d ago
St. Louis Arena where the Blues played and I believe where the Hawks played a few times was actually racially segregated at one point. Don’t know many arenas where that was a thing.
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u/TexasReallyDoesSuck NBA 5d ago
Fucking horseshit & not true lmao. sounds like youre just an apologist for racism
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u/Current-Rooster-110 6d ago
Proud to have met him when I was younger. Rest in peace.
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u/DontBlameConan Knicks 6d ago
That's not very specific, as any time besides the present would have been meeting him when you were younger.
Would love to hear the story of how you met
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u/Emboar714 [SAS] David Robinson 6d ago
Really could've just left the first sentence out.
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u/DontBlameConan Knicks 6d ago
Yeah true, it seems in a thread like this it definitely comes across as more annoying than amusing
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u/legend023 Pelicans 6d ago
Dude’s numbers were insane.
It’s a shame he couldn’t play alongside Bill Russell. That could’ve changed NBA history.
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u/Bitter-Argument4597 NBA 6d ago
Getting one over the greatest dynasty ever is a much better accomplishment and much better for his legacy
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u/BAHatesToFly Knicks 6d ago
I had no idea he was still alive, wow. Had an argument as a top five player in NBA history for quite a while in the 50s through the 70s. RIP
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u/itgoesdownandup 6d ago edited 6d ago
Houdini of the hardwood Bob Cousy is still going too (this was an excuse to write his fire and underrated nickname)
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u/BoringCap7543 6d ago
The Original Tim Duncan, long time before Duncan. Strong, tough, stoic, professional. He only won 1 ring but that ring was against Bill Russell-led Celtics which actually made him a stand-out legend. Also one of the first players who introduced isometrics into his own personal training program.
And also a very nice man in real life, treated Blacks, White, Asians equally and praised the later generations for evolving the sport.
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u/Vast-Speech-9435 6d ago
Besides wilt this dude was the biggest threat to the Celtics dynasty, rip legend
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
The Hawks lost Game 7 of the Finals in double overtime in 1957. And it was a Pettit missed bunny at the buzzer away from going to triple OT. Craziest game lost to history.
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u/stevelevets 6d ago
I mean, the fact that the ball even got to Pettit for him to miss the shot was insane.
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
For sure. Literally chucked it off the backboard full court. The fact that they can all recount key details 35 years later shows how crazy the game was.
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u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 6d ago
That’s absolutely nuts, didn’t realize this was for the first Celtics title as well.
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
There's a great picture of Heinsohn on the bench stressed out of his mind because he fouled out in double OT. Insane game.
This actually doesn't even scratch the surface of how insane that series was.
Game 1 was also a 125-123 double overtime game. Exact same score as Game 7, but the Hawks won it
Game 3 ended on a Bob Pettit game winner with 45 seconds left to win 100-98.
Game 6 ended with a Cliff Hagan buzzer beater to force Game 7, believed to be the first buzzer beater in NBA history. Hawks win 96-94. If you're keeping track, yes all 3 Hawks victories were by 2 points.
Did I mention that Red Auerbach punched the Hawks' owner in the face before Game 3 because he thought the rims weren't regulation height?
Did I forget to also mention that Red Auerbach was actually the Hawks' coach and worked for that owner before he was with the Celtics, but quit because that owner traded a player without consulting Red?
Even just reading about it you can tell this series was nuts. And that's how the Russell dynasty started.
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u/CurrentRoster Wizards 6d ago
bro a game 7 double over time in the finals would make this sub crash
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
It's not even the only Finals Game 7 overtime that Russell's Celtics were in. The 1962 Finals against the Lakers also went to OT because Frank Selvy on the Lakers missed an open midrange shot to win the game.
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u/RedtheGamer100 Hornets 6d ago
Not g7 but happened with celtics against the suns in 76 finals I think
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u/IanicRR [TOR] Amir Johnson 6d ago edited 6d ago
? He was a Celtic dawg. You thinking of Jerry West who is already dead.
Edit: I can’t read dudes. My bad.
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u/Vast-Speech-9435 6d ago
Pettit played on the hawks my dude, pretty sure he never played for the celts
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u/Nice_Animator3379 Mavericks 6d ago
A few years ago I was in my dorm playing 2k with my friends and we chose random all time teams and I fried him using Pettit. After that we looked up his stats and highlights and were wondering how he wasn’t considered top 10-15 all time. RIP legend
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
I think all of these legends that played for teams that relocated to entirely different cities just get the short end of the stick. The core fanbase of those teams just don't really have allegiance to those cities, so it's not talked about in the fanbase the same way and it sort of gets lost to history. Lakers aside obviously because that's a different animal (but even then it took them a long time to honor the really old MPLS Lakers properly).
Some names that come to mind:
Bob Pettit
Pistol Pete
Dolph Schayes (didn't get his jersey retired by the Sixers until he was dead, which is a damn shame)
Paul Arizin
Bob McAdoo
Artis Gilmore (his best years were in the ABA for a team that no longer exists)
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u/herseyhawkins33 6d ago
Man go watch highlights of Gilmore and you definitely wonder why he isn't more highly regarded. Great agility and athleticism with true center size and a nice touch as well. He's definitely talked about on an all time level but some of that fame lost to the 70s era.
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u/ParisLake2 Lakers 6d ago
- Pete Maravich, what an absolute baller. If he played today, he would be on TikTok and Sportscenter every night. He was must see television, a great scorer, with very flashy passing abilities.
- Paul Arizin is one of the originators of the jump shot, one of the great jump shooters in history. Great partners to Wilt Chamberlain playing for the Philadelphia Warriors. When the Warriors moved to Golden State, Arizin retired, as he did not want to lose his job at IBM. Paul Arizin, for me, is one of the most underrated and forgotten players in basketball history.
- Artis Gilmore was a monster. As a rookie in the ABA, he averaged 5 blocks a night. 5 blocks a night. WTF. He was the last superstar in Chicago before the arrival of Michael Jordan. He tends to be forgotten because of the ABA-NBA transition.
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u/RedtheGamer100 Hornets 6d ago
Pistol Pete and mcadoo are talked about frequently 😂
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
McAdoo's jersey is not retired by the Clippers and he seemingly has little connection to the franchise. I found one news article where Doc Rivers says the Clippers discussed retiring his jersey and trying to form those old connections with the team's past... that was 11 years ago. I'm not even sure he's been invited out to a game.
Hawks didn't retire Maravich's jersey until 2017, which was my thought process when I said that. But it doesn't really fit the theme I was going for since they were already in Atlanta.
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u/RedtheGamer100 Hornets 6d ago
I meant in terms of players brought up. Mcadoo was literally on showtime
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
I'm talking about with the franchises that relocated though, not just in general basketball lore. Like Dolph Schayes wasn't honored as much as he should have been in Sixers lore because he was technically a Syracuse National.
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u/RedtheGamer100 Hornets 6d ago
Yh prolly cause it a diff city and the ppl unfamiliar with. Be like okc honoring gp and kemp, itd feel weird
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 6d ago
Dude, read the comment over again. That's what I said from the beginning.
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u/ZerroTheDragon Pacers 6d ago
That's one thing I enjoy about 2K compared to other sports games is the classic players, there are a few big names missing (we lost Bill Russell as well sadly) but there are a lot of legends in the game who I've discovered thanks to the games
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u/FilterAccoumt 6d ago
fun fact - I have the same last name as Bob and when people use to meet me they would ask if I spelled it like Andy and I would say no like Bob and not once did anyone understand the reference
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u/Rare-Humor-9192 6d ago
He had one of the oddest free throw styles I’ve ever seen. But he definitely was a great one.
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u/AnduwinHS 6d ago
Multiple posts about polymarket and a video of Scottie Barnes eating all getting way more attention than a post mourning the death of one of the all-time greats. That's peak r/NBA right there
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u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 6d ago
When these current legends die, who knows how forgotten about they will be.
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u/ThisGuy6266 Celtics 6d ago
Oscar Robertson is the only MVP left from the 50’s and 60’s.
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u/Affectionate-Art9780 Nets 6d ago
I met him once in the late 70s when I was DJing an event in NYC. We are both still here damnit!
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u/quailinthebrush Suns 6d ago
bro was DJing since it came out
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u/Affectionate-Art9780 Nets 6d ago edited 6d ago
Born and Bred Baby Boomer from the Big Bad Bronx Baby!
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u/ProjectHarraseeket NBA 6d ago
He’s here but the team he’s most remembered for has been gone for over half a century.
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u/johnazoidberg- [DET] Ben Wallace 6d ago
RIP a true legend of this sport we love. That "aww shit" we all just heard was Bill Russell knowing that pick-up game in the sky is about to get fuck I ng G O O D
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u/IcyAppointment23 6d ago
50 points in a close out game 6 vs the Bill Russell Celtics that they only won by 1 point. RIP to a legend
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u/herseyhawkins33 6d ago
RIP. One of the more underrated players in league history when you look at his resume.
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u/Head-Expert6149 Puerto Rico 6d ago
One of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Louisiana, Top 10 PF of all time, RIP
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u/smoothsoul23 Raptors 6d ago
RIP when I first started following, he was one of older legends that I ended knowing about
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u/Alvalade1993 6d ago
RIP, the man lead the Hawks to a chip against the Celtics Dynasty team in 6 games.
Little fun fact, if you look at that Game 6 close out game, Bob Petit dropped 50pts, 19rbs in that game, yet when we talk about close out game performances on here he never comes up, and I don’t want to hear the league wasn’t as tough, he did that against THE Celtics team and against THE guy in Bill Russell
RIP Champ
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u/ParisLake2 Lakers 6d ago
One of the great PFs of all time. One of the great players in the 50s, and 60s.
Rest in peace. I can’t believe it.
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u/The_Board_Man Thunder 5d ago
Can't believe it? Dude was 93.. its not like he died at 41 years old in a helicopter crash
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u/Medical_Track_790 Hawks 6d ago
First player to 20k points, lost a legend