Elgin Baylor

2.1. Childhood and high school

Elgin Gay Baylor was born in Washington, D.C., on September 16, 1934, to Uzziel (Lewis) and John Wesley Baylor. He began playing basketball at the age of 14. Growing up near a D.C. city recreation center, Baylor faced significant limitations as African Americans were banned from using the facilities, restricting his access to basketball courts. His two brothers, Sal and Kermit, also played basketball.

Baylor played his first two years of high school basketball at Phelps Vocational High School during the 1951 and 1952 seasons. At the time, public schools in Washington, D.C., were segregated, meaning he only competed against other black high school teams. While at Phelps, Baylor set an area scoring record of 44 points against Cardozo High School. During his two All-City years at Phelps, he averaged 18.5 and 27.6 points per season. However, he struggled academically and dropped out of school in 1952-53 to work in a furniture store and play basketball in local recreational leagues.

Baylor returned to high school basketball for the 1954 season as a senior, playing for the recently opened all-black Spingarn High School. Standing 6 in and weighing 225 lb ^{(225 lb)}, he was named first-team Washington All-Metropolitan, becoming the first African-American player to receive that honor. Baylor also won the SSA's Livingstone Trophy as the area's best basketball player for 1954. He finished the season with an impressive 36.1 point average in his eight Interhigh Division II league games. On February 3, 1954, in a game against his former team, Phelps, Baylor scored 31 points in the first half. Despite playing the entire second half with four fouls, he added 32 more points to set a new D.C.-area record of 63 points. This broke the previous record of 52 points set by Jim Wexler the year before, which had itself broken Baylor's earlier record of 44 points. However, because Wexler was white and Baylor was black, Baylor's record did not receive the same media coverage, including from The Washington Post, as Wexler's.

3.1. College of Idaho

Although some colleges were willing to accept Baylor, he did not qualify academically for major programs. A friend of Baylor's who attended the College of Idaho helped arrange a football scholarship for him for the 1954-55 academic year. Baylor never played football for the school; instead, he was accepted onto the college's basketball team without needing to try out. He quickly distinguished himself, outperforming other players on the team that season by averaging over 31 points and 20 rebounds per game.

After that season, the College of Idaho dismissed its head basketball coach and restricted its athletic scholarships. This led Baylor to seek other opportunities.

3.2. Seattle University

A car dealer in Seattle interested Baylor in Seattle University. Baylor sat out a year to play for Westside Ford, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team in Seattle, while establishing his eligibility at Seattle University. The Minneapolis Lakers drafted him in the 14th round of the 1956 NBA draft, but Baylor opted to remain in school.

During the 1956-57 season, Baylor averaged 29.7 points and 20.3 rebounds per game for Seattle. The following season, he averaged 32.5 points per game and led the Seattle University Chieftains (now known as the Redhawks) to the NCAA championship game. This marked Seattle's only trip to the Final Four, where they ultimately fell to the Kentucky Wildcats with a score of 72-84. Following his junior season, Baylor was drafted again by the Minneapolis Lakers, this time with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA draft. He decided to leave school to join them for the 1958-59 NBA season.

Over his three collegiate seasons-one at the College of Idaho and two at Seattle University-Baylor averaged 31.3 points and 19.5 rebounds per game. He led the NCAA in rebounds during the 1956-57 season.

4.1. Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers (1958-1971)

Baylor's tenure with the Lakers began in Minneapolis and continued after the team's move to Los Angeles, where he became a franchise cornerstone, leading the team through multiple NBA Finals appearances.

4.1.2. Peak years and record-breaking

In 1960, the Lakers moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, becoming the first NBA team on the West Coast. This relocation was crucial for the league's national expansion. To further bolster the team, the Lakers drafted Jerry West as their No. 2 overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft to play point guard, and hired Fred Schaus, who had also coached West during his college career. The dynamic duo of Baylor and West, later joined in 1968 by center Wilt Chamberlain, propelled the Lakers to consistent success in the Western Division throughout the 1960s.

From the 1960-61 to the 1962-63 seasons, Baylor averaged an astounding 34.8, 38.3, and 34.0 points per game, respectively. On November 15 of the 1960-61 season, Baylor set an NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks, while also grabbing 25 rebounds. In doing so, Baylor became the first NBA player to score more than 70 points in a game, breaking his own NBA record of 64 points that he had set the previous November. Baylor held the record until 1962, when Chamberlain scored 100 points. Knicks player Richie Guerin later commented that Baylor's 71-point performance was "far better" than Chamberlain's 100, noting that Baylor achieved his points "naturally" while Chamberlain's teammates were actively trying to set him up for the record. The Lakers' move to Los Angeles, coupled with Baylor's and West's stellar play, quickly captivated the city, with celebrities frequently seen courtside.

Baylor, a United States Army Reservist, was called to active duty during the 1961-62 NBA season. Stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington, he could play for the Lakers only when on a weekend pass. This meant he was unable to practice with the team before or during the season and had to fly coach across the country on weekends to join the team. Despite playing only 48 games that season, he still managed to score over 1,800 points, averaging a career-high 38.3 points (the highest average in NBA history by any player other than Chamberlain), 18.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Later that season, in a Game Five NBA Finals victory against the Boston Celtics, Baylor set the still-standing NBA record for points in an NBA Finals game with 61. Basketball historian James Fisher described Baylor's performance that season as: "Not bad for a part-time job." Baylor himself later said he "kind of enjoyed that season."

4.2. Player characteristics and playing style

Baylor was renowned as an all-around player, excelling in every facet of the game, including offense, defense, rebounding, and passing. Standing 6 in, he was considered short for a forward even during his era. However, he compensated with immense strength, allowing him to "muscle through" defenders, and an unparalleled finesse and creativity to maneuver around them, frequently securing second-chance points from missed shots.

Baylor was particularly celebrated for his superior leaping abilities, which enabled him to score by staying airborne longer than his defenders. Bill Russell famously called him "the godfather of hang time." He innovated various "moves" to deceive opponents, often involving changing hands or direction mid-air. His offensive repertoire included a running bank shot and a left-handed hook shot, despite being right-handed. He also utilized an on-court facial twitch as a deceptive head fake. Baylor attributed his success to a natural talent for jumping and the ability to spontaneously react to defensive plays.

Before Baylor joined the NBA in 1958, the league's play was often described as methodical and mechanical, dominated by set jump shots and running hook shots. Baylor introduced a creative and acrobatic playing style that fundamentally transformed the game. His ability to elevate and maneuver in the air, seemingly defying gravity, ushered in an era of "vertical" basketball, moving the sport beyond its previous "horizontal" confines, as noted by Bill Simmons. His innovative approach and aerial artistry significantly influenced later NBA superstars such as Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, and Michael Jordan. His contemporaries held him in high regard: Oscar Robertson described Baylor as "the first and original high flier," Bill Sharman called him "the greatest cornerman who ever played pro basketball," and Tom Heinsohn stated, "Baylor as forward beats out Bird, Julius Erving and everybody else." Tommy Hawkins summarized his impact by saying, "Pound-for-pound, no one was greater than Elgin Baylor." The Basketball Hall of Fame itself referred to Baylor as "Unstoppable."

Baylor was also an underrated rebounder, averaging 13.5 rebounds per game over his career. His remarkable 19.8 rebounds per game during the 1960-61 season was a feat exceeded by only five other players in NBA history, all of whom were 6 in or taller, making his achievement particularly notable for his size.

6.1. Los Angeles Clippers

In 1986, Baylor was hired by the Los Angeles Clippers as the team's Vice President of Basketball Operations. He held this position for 22 years, until October 2008, managing the team for the majority of the Donald Sterling ownership period. During his long tenure, Baylor was instrumental in building the team around key players such as Danny Manning in the 1990s and Elton Brand in the 2000s.

Despite his efforts, the Clippers achieved only two winning seasons under his leadership and amassed a win-loss record of 607-1153. They made the playoffs only four times and won just one playoff series during this period. However, Baylor's contributions were recognized in 2006 when he was selected as the NBA Executive of the Year. He was relieved of his executive duties in October 2008, shortly before the start of the 2008-09 season, at the age of 74.

In February 2009, Baylor filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Clippers, team owner Donald Sterling, team president Andy Roeser, and the NBA. He alleged that he was underpaid during his tenure with the team and then fired because of his age and race. Baylor later dropped the racial discrimination claims from the suit. In 2011, a jury decided in the Clippers' favor on Baylor's remaining claims, finding that his termination was based on the team's poor performance. However, Baylor stated he felt vindicated when Donald Sterling was banned for life from the NBA in 2014 after recordings of him making racist comments were publicized by the press.

8.1. Revolutionizing basketball play

Since the beginning of his NBA career, Baylor has been considered one of the best basketball players in the world, and his reputation as one of the greatest in history has endured. Before Baylor joined the NBA in 1958, the league's play was often described as methodical and mechanical, dominated by set jump shots and running hook shots. Baylor introduced a creative and acrobatic playing style that fundamentally transformed the way basketball was played. His ability to elevate and maneuver in the air, seemingly defying gravity, ushered in an era of "vertical" basketball, moving the sport beyond its previous "horizontal" confines, as noted by Bill Simmons, who wrote, "Along with Russell, Elgin turned a horizontal game into a vertical one."

His innovative approach and aerial artistry significantly influenced later NBA superstars such as Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, and Michael Jordan. His contemporaries held him in high regard: Oscar Robertson described Baylor as "the first and original high flier," Bill Sharman called Baylor "the greatest cornerman who ever played pro basketball," and Tom Heinsohn stated, "Baylor as forward beats out Bird, Julius Erving and everybody else." Tommy Hawkins summarized his impact by saying, "Pound-for-pound, no one was greater than Elgin Baylor." The Basketball Hall of Fame itself referred to Baylor as "Unstoppable."

Baylor was the last of the great undersized forwards in a league where many guards are now his size or bigger. He finished his playing days with 23,149 points, 3,650 assists, and 11,463 rebounds over 846 games. His signature running bank shot, which he was able to release quickly and effectively over taller players, led him to numerous NBA scoring records, several of which still stand. The 71 points Baylor scored on November 15, 1960, was a record at the time; it was also a team record that would not be surpassed until Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006. The 61 points he scored in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in 1962 is still an NBA Finals record. Over his career, he averaged 27.4 points and 4.3 assists per game. An underrated rebounder, Baylor averaged 13.5 rebounds per game during his career, including a remarkable 19.8 rebounds per game during the 1960-61 season-a season average exceeded by only five other players in NBA history, all of whom were 6 in or taller.

8.2. Major awards and honors

A 10-time All-NBA First Team selection and 11-time NBA All-Star, Baylor was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977. He was named to the NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1980, the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. In 2009, SLAM Magazine ranked him number 11 among its Top 50 NBA players of all time. In 2022, to commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary, The Athletic ranked Baylor as the 23rd greatest player in NBA history.

Baylor is often listed as the greatest NBA player never to win a championship. However, the Lakers did give Baylor a championship ring for his contributions at the start of the 1971-72 season, which the team went on to win after his retirement.

Fifty-one years after Baylor left Seattle University, the school named its basketball court in his honor on November 19, 2009, now known as the Elgin Baylor Court in Seattle's KeyArena. The Seattle Redhawks also host the annual Elgin Baylor Classic. In June 2017, The College of Idaho had Baylor as one of the inaugural inductees into the school's Hall of Fame. The first biography of Baylor was written by Slam Online contributor Bijan C. Bayne in 2015. On April 6, 2018, a statue of Baylor, designed by Gary Tillery and Omri Amrany, was unveiled at the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) prior to a Lakers game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

8.3. Criticisms and controversies

Baylor's career was not without its controversies, particularly during his time as an executive. In 2009, he filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the Los Angeles Clippers, team owner Donald Sterling, team president Andy Roeser, and the NBA. He alleged that he was underpaid and subsequently fired because of his age and race. Although Baylor later dropped the racial discrimination claims, a jury in 2011 sided with the Clippers, finding that his termination was based on the team's poor performance. However, Baylor stated he felt vindicated when Sterling was banned for life from the NBA in 2014 after recordings of him making racist comments were publicized by the press, highlighting the systemic issues Baylor had challenged.

Additionally, a "Curse of Elgin Baylor" has been suggested by some, given his nine appearances in championship finals (NCAA and NBA) without winning a title as a player, and the Los Angeles Clippers' consistent struggles during his long tenure as general manager.