In 1954, Petit entered the league as a top-notch, and this big man in the interior soon became the league's superstar.
Superstars are just beginning to grow
In his rookie season, Petit adapted very quickly to the NBA, averaging 20.4 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. With his excellent performances, he became the best rookie. At the same time, he was also selected as an All-Star and the Best Team, and can be said to be a superstar as soon as he entered the league.
Despite Petit's strong personal performance, the Eagles' record was less than ideal, with they only winning 26 and losing 46 that season.
In the 1955–56 season, Petit continued to improve, becoming the league's leading scorer and rebounding champion with 25.7 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, and became the first regular season MVP winner in the league's history. Not only that, but he was also elected all-Star MVP at the 1956 All-Star Game with 20 points, 24 rebounds and 7 assists, the first person in history.
Confrontation with the Green Army Dynasty
In 1956, the Hawks selected Bill Russell in the draft, but because of Petit's presence, they traded Russell to the Celtics, and with the eyes of latecomers, we know that the Hawks missed the opportunity to become a dynasty. If the Hawks had kept Russell and added Petit, how invincible the Hawks would have been at the time.
Unfortunately, to miss is to miss. After that, Petit had to lead the Hawks to a 10-year competition with the Celtics, who already had the championship.
In the 1956-57 season, Petit led the Eagles to the Finals, where they lost the championship to russell's Celtics, who, after seven bitter battles, lost 3-4 to the Green Army.
In 1957–58, Petit averaged 24.6 points and 17.4 rebounds per game and helped the Hawks win the division title, but he lost to Russell in the MVP selection. However, in the All-Star Game, Petit still had some gains, and he was elected the All-Star MVP for the second time with 28 points and 26 rebounds. In the Finals, Petit's Eagles and Russell's Green Army met for two consecutive years, because Russell was injured in the middle, Petit led the Eagles to defeat the Green Army in 6 games to win the championship.
In the 1958-59 season, Petit continued to perform strongly, and he once again won the top score with 29.2 points per game, although he was behind Russell in rebounds per game, but he was elected the regular season MVP for the second time. However, the Hawks were eliminated by the Lakers in the West Zone finals and did not have the opportunity to play against the Green Army in the Finals for three consecutive years.
In the 1959–60 season, Petit led the Hawks and Celtics to meet again in the Finals, but they again lost to their opponents in 7 games and missed the championship.
In the 1960–61 season, Petit led the Hawks to a fourth meeting with the Greens in the Finals in five years, but this time they lost 4-1. At the same time, this is also the last time Petit will play against the Green Army in the finals.
Hero Twilight
In 1961-62, Petit contributed a career-high 31.1 points per game, but he met Chamberlain, who averaged 50 points per game, so he failed to win the scoring championship.
In the 1962-63 season, Petit was still in shape, averaging 28.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game, leading the Hawks through seven bitter defeats to the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.
In 1963-64, Petit's stats began to decline, averaging just 27.4 points and 15.3 rebounds per game.
In the 1964–65 season, Petit played only 50 games with injuries, but he still guaranteed an average of 22.5 points per game, but the Hawks were no longer competitive in the playoffs. After this season, Petit announced his retirement.
During Petit's career, he averaged more than 20 points per game in every season, and he was able to be named an All-Star every season.
He has a place in the NBA's 25, 35 and 50 biggest stars.