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#3 Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor is one of many legendary Lakers. He was a player that could score, rebound, and pass the ball. In other words, he was a player that could do it all.
Baylor played 14 seasons with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, where his dazzling, acrobatic plays wowed the crowd. If he played in a different era, there would be more footage of his dazzling plays.
But, Baylor played in an era where the NBA was not televised on a wide scale. Otherwise, he would be mentioned in the same conversations as Julius Erving and Michael Jordan.
The Laker legend was the first pick of the 1958 draft. The Lakers drafted him, and he remained with them his entire career. Baylor won Rookie of the Year in 1959, was an 11-time All-Star, and helped the Lakers make eight NBA Finals. He averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds in his career, which include a season where he averaged 38.3 points and 18.6 rebounds. Baylor was incredible with the Lakers and played a part in their success.
Baylor's career came to an end after he retired nine games into the 1971-72 season. He retired due to a knee injury that became difficult to play through.
His retirement was a decision best for his health, but the timing was unfortunate. After his retirement, the Lakers went on to win 33 consecutive games (a record that still stands) and won a championship when they beat the Knicks that year. In other words, if Baylor finished the season with the Lakers, he could have won a championship. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
Baylor was so close to winning a championship but (towards the end of his career) injuries got in the way. Despite not winning a championship, Baylor is still held in high regard not only in the Lakers organization but in the entire league.
