GOAT Index

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Bob Pettit: the case for the GOAT

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    Bob Pettit: the case for the GOAT

    Forward · Hawks · Born 12 December 1932, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA · Died 2026 · Career 1954–1965

    A tireless power forward who spent his whole career with the Milwaukee and St. Louis Hawks, known for his rebounding and scoring inside.

    Career highlights

    Why Bob Pettit could be the GOAT

    Pettit won the NBA's first MVP award and scored 50 points to clinch the 1958 title against Russell's Celtics. He made the All-NBA First Team in ten of his 11 seasons and was the first player to reach 20,000 points. He was the league's dominant forward of the 1950s.

    What fans say

    Bob Pettit is #30 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 0–6 head-to-head record from 157 NBA votes. See the full NBA GOAT ranking

    Bob Pettit head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

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