India, Sept. 25 -- Bob Pettit, an imposing scorer and rebounder for the St Louis Hawks, has died at 93. He won the NBA's first Most Valuable Player award in 1956.

Pettit's alma mater, LSU, announced Thursday that he died a day earlier. The university did not give a cause of death.

Pett. t was an All-American at LSU before going to the NBA, where he was an All-Star in each of his 11 seasons, all with the Hawks. He led the team to the 1958 championship over the Boston Celtics, the Hawks' only title.

He was also the NBA MVP in 1959 and was the MVP of the All-Star game four times, a feat matched only by Lakers great Kobe Bryant.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times....