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Elgin Baylor's impact on both the NBA and the Lakers is scarcely given the recognition it deserves. A lifer in the purple and gold, Baylor was an exemplary professional who oozed talent and helped cement the Lakers as one of the NBA's premier franchises.
Elgin Baylor would turn 87-years-old today, but his legacy will continue for centuries.
Baylor's offensive game was far more developed that you would've expected for the time period in which he played. During the 50's, 60's, and 70's there wasn't a three-point line - that got introduced during the 1979-80 NBA season, eight years after he had retired. Yet, despite all the shots being counted as two points, the Washington D.C. native displayed a three-level scoring ability never seen before in the NBA.
“Elgin defined the forward position for my generation in terms of buckets and rebounding,” - Marques Johnson
Sadly, Elgin Baylor never won an NBA championship in his career, and is often overlooked because of that fact. In the world of NBA fandom, players are judged upon their ring count, and if you don't win any then you're likely to become an afterthought.
Those who have seen him play, competed against him, or studied the history of the game know differently. Baylor was a 10 time ALL-NBA First Team, 11 time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, and the list goes on. You don't amass those types of personal accolades without being a special talent.
"Elgin produced remarkable results with his athleticism and groundbreaking style of play, including setting an NBA Finals record with 61 points in Game 5 of the 1962 championship series" - NBA Commisoner Adam Silver in The Undefeated
Elgin Baylor's Lakers career is also the stuff of legend, and to this day he still ranks in the franchises top 10 for multiple statistical categories. Here's a list of where he ranks for regular season production:
His playoff production provides similar reading, with the Lakers legend sitting firmly within multiple top-10 categories.
As you can see, Elgin Baylor was something of a point-forward, think Scottie Pippen, but in the 60's. With his athleticism, scoring ability, and size (he was 6'5'') Baylor is one of the few players from his era that could easily be dominating the basketball court in today's NBA era. Silky runs, powerful finishes and a touch from all over the court, Elgin Baylor is truly part of the Lakers' rich heritage.
It's a shame that when people discuss Lakers greats of old, the conversation revolves around the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West. Elgin Baylor was either teammates with those greats, or helped lay the path for their stardom, not only on the basketball court, but culturally as well.
"I don’t think anyone ever got their credit back then. The game was a completely different game. He was one of the game’s modern players. I think I was, too. We were athletic, could run and jump and do things other people couldn’t do. Yet people look at his accomplishments and because there weren’t championships associated with it, there wasn’t that kind of recognition." Jerry West told USA Today
If he had played in the modern era, Elgin Baylor would've been an icon and a leading voice on social justice. When you cast your eye back to the forefathers of the game we all love so much, Baylor's name is firmly ingrained within the heritage of the league, the sport, and the culture as we know it.
Without players like Magic Johnson and Elgin Baylor, there wouldn't have been a Pippen, or even a LeBron James. Witnessing greatness from a multi-skilled forward is what's led the league down a path of "wing dominance" in recent years. Sure, we've had phases of point-guards carry the torch, and we all remember the golden guard generation, the same can be said about big-men in the late 80's and throughout the 90's.
But let's face it, this is a wings league now, and Baylor helped layout the blueprint all those years ago. Now, on his first birthday since his passing earlier this year, players and fans around the world will be remembering one of the greats, a player who put the 'show in showtime, who helped place the Lakers on the map. And a player who fought for what he believed in, both on and off the court.
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