Elgin Baylor
(Born 1934)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1977
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Famed Signatures
Position: SF
Height: 6’5″
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Elgin Baylor is considered one of the best small forwards to ever play the game. He was a Laker for his entire career, playing his first two years in Minneapolis and his last twelve years in Los Angeles. Elgin was a high-flyer who had moves that no one had ever seen before. He was the first to play “above the rim.” He has been called “Michael before Michael” and “LeBron before LeBron.” The great Julius Erving, among others, patterned some of his game after Baylor.
Elgin could pass, handle the ball, and shoot the ball like few other small forwards in NBA history. The variety of shots that he created while hanging in the air was amazing. Much of Elgin’s gravity-defying play was not captured on film and it has been largely left to his teammates and opponents to try and convey the basketball greatness of Elgin Baylor.
Awards and Honors
- Elgin led Seattle University to the 1958 NCAA Championship Game where they lost to Kentucky by a score of 84-72. Baylor was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
- In the 1958 NBA Draft, the Minneapolis Lakers selected Elgin with the number one overall pick and convinced him to forego his final year of college to play pro basketball. He signed a contract to play for $20,000 per year, a huge sum of money in those times.
- Baylor was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1958-59. That year he finished fourth in scoring (24.9 ppg), third in rebounding (15.0 rpg), and eighth in assists (4.1 apg).
- From 1959 through 1970, Elgin was an NBA All-Star eleven times. He was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1959, his rookie year. He and Bob Pettit shared the award after a tie in the voting.
- Baylor was a ten-time selection to the All-NBA First Team during his fourteen-year career.
Points of Interest
- In his rookie year Elgin scored 55 points in one game. At the time that was the third highest total in NBA history, behind Joe Fulks (63 points) and George Mikan (61 points).
- On November 15th, 1960, Baylor became the first player in NBA history to score over 70 points in a game. He scored 71 points as the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 123-108. Elgin made 28 of his 48 shot attempts (.583) and 15 of his 19 free throws (.789). He also had 25 rebounds that night.
- Although he never won an NBA title, Baylor led the Lakers to the NBA Finals eight times. Unfortunately, Elgin played at the same time as the legendary Boston Celtics dynasty featuring Bill Russell. Baylor’s Lakers lost to the Celtics seven times, and the New York Knicks once, in the NBA Finals.
- In Baylor’s last two years playing professional basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers roster included four future Hall of Famers: Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, and Baylor.
- Elgin was named after the gold pocket watch that his father looked at to mark the time of Baylor’s birth. The watch was an Elgin.
- In Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals against the Celtics, Baylor scored 61 points to set a playoff record. That record would stand for 24 years until Michael Jordan scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in a first-round game in 1986.
Statistics
Elgin Baylor Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference