St. Louis Hawks legend Bob Pettit, who was the NBA’s first-ever Most Valuable Player, was recently named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Pettit, a 6-foot-9 forward originally from Louisiana, was the first player in league history to ever score 20,000 points. He was also the only superstar to defeat Bill Russell in the NBA Finals, scoring 50 points in the closeout game to win the championship back in 1958.
The Hall of Famer, who ranked No. 31 overall on the HoopsHype list of the 75 greatest NBA players ever, caught up with us to share some of his immense knowledge about the game.
Please note this interview was minorly edited in its transcript for clarity.