(PHOTO CREDIT: WASHINGTON POST)

Bob Petit, known as one of the greatest power forwards of all-time and the first-ever NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner, died Wednesday at the age of 93.

“Dad passed away very peacefully at his home in Metairie, on Wednesday, September 23,” the Pettit family said in a statement. “He was the most amazing father. The most kind, humble and gentle soul. We are so blessed to have him in our lives and we will miss him dearly.”

The NBA issued the following statement in regards to Petit’s passing:

“The NBA family mourns the passing of Naismith Hall of Famer Bob Pettit, a two-time NBA MVP and a member of all four NBA Anniversary Teams. He raised the bar for excellence as the league’s first MVP, first 20,000-point scorer and first four-time All-Star Game MVP. His iconic 50-point performance in Game 6 of the 1958 NBA Finals clinched the championship for the St. Louis Hawks. Beyond those accomplishments, Bob helped transform the power forward position.

“Our thoughts are with Bob’s family and friends and the entire Hawks organization.”

Pettit played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks and earned an All-Star nod in each of those seasons. A four-time All-Star Game MVP, Pettit’s feat has only been matched by Kobe Bryant.

But before his NBA stardom, he starred at LSU as a sophomore, an era when players could not join the varsity until then. He led the SEC in scoring all three of his seasons, with averages of 25.5 points as a sophomore, 24.9 as a junior and 31.4 as a senior. Pettit is one of only three LSU players — Pete Maravich and Shaquille O’Neal the others — to earn a place in the Hall of Fame.

Pettit was the Rookie of the Year in 1955, the last year the Hawks played in Milwaukee before moving to St. Louis.

He captured the very first NBA MVP the next season, leading the league in scoring at 25.7 points a game. He also was the NBA’s scoring leader in 1959 at 29.2 points.

He retired after the 1964-65 season with career averages of 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds. At that time, he was the NBA’s career leader in points (20,880) and second in rebounds (12,849). He became the first player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.

One of only four players to make all four NBA anniversary teams — 25th, 35th, 50th and 75th, his passing leaves the great Bob Cousy as the sole surviving of the four (Cousy turns 98 in 2027).