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NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history

By Josh Cornelissen

Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks
Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks. (Photo by: Bob Ganley/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) /

Bob Pettit. 17. player. 125. . Center. LSU Tigers, 1954 (No. 2)

Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: Bob Pettit, Atlanta Hawks

Louisiana native Bob Pettit played college close to home at LSU, where he set a number of school and SEC records. He twice made an All-American team and in 1953 led the Tigers to the Final Four. The following year the then-Milwaukee Hawks picked him No. 2 in the NBA Draft.

As a rookie in 1955, Pettit won NBA Rookie of the Year on averages of 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. He continued to improve for the later-St. Louis Hawks.

In 1956, he was the very first winner of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. In 11 seasons, Pettit made 11 NBA All-Star Games, was a 10-time First-Team All-NBA selection and totaled 136 win shares for the franchise.

By Pettit’s second season, the Hawks were in the playoffs. By his third, they were in the NBA Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics. The following season, Pettit and the Hawks became the only team to defeat the Bill Russell Celtics in the NBA Finals.