1957-58 NBA Season Standings

The St. Louis Hawks, led by MVP-caliber forward Bob Pettit, won their only NBA championship as a St. Louis franchise, defeating the defending-champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the Finals (Bill Russell was hampered by an ankle injury for part of the series). Bill Russell won league MVP despite the loss, and Woody Sauldsberry of Philadelphia was named Rookie of the Year. Two franchises relocated this season: the Fort Wayne Pistons moved to Detroit to become the Detroit Pistons, and the Rochester Royals moved to Cincinnati to become the Cincinnati Royals. Tragedy struck late in the season when Cincinnati's Maurice Stokes suffered a serious head injury in the regular-season finale that led to permanent paralysis; teammate Jack Twyman's lifelong care for Stokes later inspired the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Minneapolis collapsed to a league-worst 19-53 record as the Lakers dynasty of the early 1950s faded, while the league remained split into eight teams across Eastern and Western Divisions.