Overview
With his ability to hang in the air and score inside and out, Elgin Baylor was the precursor to stars like Julius Erving and Michael Jordan. Baylor ranks among the best in all-time regular season scoring (27.4) and playoff scoring (27.0). He was voted to the All-NBA first team 10 times in his first 11 years between 1959 and 1969.
He is one a handful of players in NBA history to register 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. His 11,453 rebounds are first in Lakers' history. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, and an 11-time NBA All-Star, he is regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest players.
In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was voted to the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team in 1980 and the 50th Anniversary Team in 1996.
Baylor spent 22 years as GM of the Los Angeles Clippers, being named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2006, before being relieved of his duties before the 2008-09 season began.
He is one a handful of players in NBA history to register 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. His 11,453 rebounds are first in Lakers' history. The No. 1 draft pick in 1958, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, and an 11-time NBA All-Star, he is regarded as one of the game's all-time greatest players.
In 1977, Baylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was voted to the NBA's 35th Anniversary Team in 1980 and the 50th Anniversary Team in 1996.
Baylor spent 22 years as GM of the Los Angeles Clippers, being named the NBA Executive of the Year in 2006, before being relieved of his duties before the 2008-09 season began.
Early Years
Elgin Baylor was born Sept. 16, 1934 in Washington, D.C. At his birth, his father John Baylor took out his pocket watch to check the time of his fifth child's arrival. It was an Elgin watch, and Baylor's father decided to name the boy after his most prized possession.
In his native Washington, Baylor took to the playgrounds. He was fanatical and played even if none of his pals were around. He practiced feints and weaving around imaginary opponents.
Baylor joined the team at Phelps Vocational High in Washington, D.C. and made all-city his first two years. Then he quit to get away from all the attention and worked for a year in a furniture store. He finally listened to his mother -- who wanted him to exploit his athletic gifts -- and returned to Spingarn High, a black academic school. He set a District of Columbia scoring record with 68 points in a single game.
In his native Washington, Baylor took to the playgrounds. He was fanatical and played even if none of his pals were around. He practiced feints and weaving around imaginary opponents.
Baylor joined the team at Phelps Vocational High in Washington, D.C. and made all-city his first two years. Then he quit to get away from all the attention and worked for a year in a furniture store. He finally listened to his mother -- who wanted him to exploit his athletic gifts -- and returned to Spingarn High, a black academic school. He set a District of Columbia scoring record with 68 points in a single game.
College Career
Baylor, at age 20, followed a high school friend to the College of Idaho, where he played football. When the football coach (also the basketball coach) saw Baylor on the court, he lured him to the team and Baylor wound up playing the full 26 games, averaging 31 points and 19 rebounds. When the school began to de-emphasize sports Baylor transferred to Seattle University. Under NCAA rules, a transfer student had to sit out a year of varsity competition. So Baylor spent the winter playing for an AAU team, the West Side Fords, leading the league with 33 points a game.
After guiding Seattle to a 22-3 mark -- and leading the country in rebounds and finishing third with a 29.7 scoring average -- in his first year, the second year he scored 32.5, second only to Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson. That same year Seattle lost the 1958 NCAA Final against Kentucky, 84-72. The Chieftains led through the first half, but Baylor picked up his fourth foul with 15 minutes left. Baylor had 25 points (on just 9-of-32 shooting) and 19 rebounds. He was named Tournament MVP. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points over three college seasons.
After guiding Seattle to a 22-3 mark -- and leading the country in rebounds and finishing third with a 29.7 scoring average -- in his first year, the second year he scored 32.5, second only to Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson. That same year Seattle lost the 1958 NCAA Final against Kentucky, 84-72. The Chieftains led through the first half, but Baylor picked up his fourth foul with 15 minutes left. Baylor had 25 points (on just 9-of-32 shooting) and 19 rebounds. He was named Tournament MVP. Overall, he averaged 31.3 points over three college seasons.
Professional Career
In his rookie season, Baylor scored 55 points in one contest. He was co-MVP of the All-Star Game, recording 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers had finished 19-53 in the season before Baylor arrived, but now made it all the way to the NBA Finals against Boston.
During the Lakers' 1959-60 season, their last in Minneapolis, Baylor scored 64 against Boston, breaking "Jumping" Joe Fulks' mark of 63 set in 1949. Celtics coach Red Auerbach shadowed Baylor with four guys at the end of the game so he wouldn't break the record. But the players fouled him and Baylor reached his record at the foul line.
Baylor became a legendary NBA scorer overnight. On Nov. 15, 1960 (the Lakers had moved to Los Angeles before the 1960-61 season), Baylor shattered his own record of 64 points in a game, against the Knicks. He had 34 points in the first half, and with Los Angeles leading by 17 points entering the fourth quarter, Baylor's rookie teammate Jerry West kept feeding him. With about 90 seconds remaining in the game, Baylor broke his record of 64. He left the floor with 71 points as the Madison Square Garden crowd gave him a rousing ovation.
Professional basketball was new to Los Angeles and fans fell for Baylor's brand of grace and scoring punch. In his first three California seasons he averaged 34.8, 38.2, and 34.0 points per game. In his first five years in the league he averaged above 32 points per game.
Baylor courageously fought and overcame knee problems from the middle of his career until the end. He played only 48 games in the 1961-62 season, but that was due to an Army commitment. Bothered by pain, he turned to the bandages and heavy canvas-elastic knee braces popular at the time. His movements restricted, in three consecutive games during the 1963-64 season he scored 8, then 10, then 13 points. He stuck it out and played 78 of 80 games that year, his average dropping to 25.4 per game, still good for sixth in the league.
Baylor went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for a diagnosis, but doctors couldn't figure out his problem. Five minutes into the first playoff game in the 1965 season he took a jumper, but there was a popping sound when his feet touched down. He had ripped off the upper portion of his left kneecap. The following season his minutes were reduced and he fell below 20 points per game (16.6) for the first time in his career. A year later he strained ligaments in his right knee, was put in a hip-to-ankle cast, and missed a month.
The Baylor-Jerry West tandem combined for 52 points per game in 1961, 69 per game in 1962, 61 in 1963, 54 in 1964, and 58 in 1965. It was simply the best 1-2 scoring punch in NBA history. But even the high-voltage connection of Baylor-West didn't generate the juice to propel the team to a championship. In seven seasons -- 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969 -- the Lakers fell to the Celtics in the Finals. Three of those Finals, 1962, 1966, and 1969, took an agonizing seven games. None was more painful than the 1962 series, when Baylor posted a playoff average of 38.6 points and West chipped in with 31.5.
In the 1966 postseason Baylor, now 31, scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 1, 42 and 14 (and 9 assists) in Game 2. In the seventh game he led the Lakers to a 130-121 victory with 33 points. Next came the Celtics, and Baylor scored 36 points and hauled in 20 rebounds in Game 1. The Celtics won the next three. Baylor, playing on one good knee, scored 41 points and got 16 rebounds in Game 5 and 25 and 14 in Game 6. Then the Celtics won a 95-93 defensive struggle in Game 7.
In 1970-71, his penultimate season, Baylor tore an Achilles tendon and played just two games. He retired, at 37, after playing just 9 games of the 1971-72 season, having never won a title. The Lakers went on to win the NBA championship in 1972, winning an NBA record 33 consecutive games and finishing with a then-record 69 wins.
During the Lakers' 1959-60 season, their last in Minneapolis, Baylor scored 64 against Boston, breaking "Jumping" Joe Fulks' mark of 63 set in 1949. Celtics coach Red Auerbach shadowed Baylor with four guys at the end of the game so he wouldn't break the record. But the players fouled him and Baylor reached his record at the foul line.
Baylor became a legendary NBA scorer overnight. On Nov. 15, 1960 (the Lakers had moved to Los Angeles before the 1960-61 season), Baylor shattered his own record of 64 points in a game, against the Knicks. He had 34 points in the first half, and with Los Angeles leading by 17 points entering the fourth quarter, Baylor's rookie teammate Jerry West kept feeding him. With about 90 seconds remaining in the game, Baylor broke his record of 64. He left the floor with 71 points as the Madison Square Garden crowd gave him a rousing ovation.
Professional basketball was new to Los Angeles and fans fell for Baylor's brand of grace and scoring punch. In his first three California seasons he averaged 34.8, 38.2, and 34.0 points per game. In his first five years in the league he averaged above 32 points per game.
Baylor courageously fought and overcame knee problems from the middle of his career until the end. He played only 48 games in the 1961-62 season, but that was due to an Army commitment. Bothered by pain, he turned to the bandages and heavy canvas-elastic knee braces popular at the time. His movements restricted, in three consecutive games during the 1963-64 season he scored 8, then 10, then 13 points. He stuck it out and played 78 of 80 games that year, his average dropping to 25.4 per game, still good for sixth in the league.
Baylor went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for a diagnosis, but doctors couldn't figure out his problem. Five minutes into the first playoff game in the 1965 season he took a jumper, but there was a popping sound when his feet touched down. He had ripped off the upper portion of his left kneecap. The following season his minutes were reduced and he fell below 20 points per game (16.6) for the first time in his career. A year later he strained ligaments in his right knee, was put in a hip-to-ankle cast, and missed a month.
The Baylor-Jerry West tandem combined for 52 points per game in 1961, 69 per game in 1962, 61 in 1963, 54 in 1964, and 58 in 1965. It was simply the best 1-2 scoring punch in NBA history. But even the high-voltage connection of Baylor-West didn't generate the juice to propel the team to a championship. In seven seasons -- 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969 -- the Lakers fell to the Celtics in the Finals. Three of those Finals, 1962, 1966, and 1969, took an agonizing seven games. None was more painful than the 1962 series, when Baylor posted a playoff average of 38.6 points and West chipped in with 31.5.
In the 1966 postseason Baylor, now 31, scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 1, 42 and 14 (and 9 assists) in Game 2. In the seventh game he led the Lakers to a 130-121 victory with 33 points. Next came the Celtics, and Baylor scored 36 points and hauled in 20 rebounds in Game 1. The Celtics won the next three. Baylor, playing on one good knee, scored 41 points and got 16 rebounds in Game 5 and 25 and 14 in Game 6. Then the Celtics won a 95-93 defensive struggle in Game 7.
In 1970-71, his penultimate season, Baylor tore an Achilles tendon and played just two games. He retired, at 37, after playing just 9 games of the 1971-72 season, having never won a title. The Lakers went on to win the NBA championship in 1972, winning an NBA record 33 consecutive games and finishing with a then-record 69 wins.
Post-Playing Career
Shortly after his playing career came to a close, Baylor tried his hand at coaching. He was hired by the expansion New Orleans Jazz as an assistant coach for the team's inaugural 1974-75 season. He served two full years in that capacity before replacing Butch van Breda Kolff as head coach early in the 1976-77 campaign. Baylor guided the young Jazz for the rest of that season and for the next two seasons, compiling an 86-135 record. His teams failed to reach the playoffs and finished no better than fifth in the Central Division. Baylor stepped down after the 1978-79 season.
In April 1986, the Los Angeles Clippers hired Baylor to serve as the team's vice president of basketball operations. After a 12-70 season in 1986-87, Los Angeles improved slightly in each of the next five seasons, peaking at 45-37 in 1991-92 and earning a playoff berth for the first time since the franchise was known as the Buffalo Braves in 1975-76. The Clippers reached the postseason again in 1993 and 2006, but were a lottery team for most of Baylor's tenure.
In April 1986, the Los Angeles Clippers hired Baylor to serve as the team's vice president of basketball operations. After a 12-70 season in 1986-87, Los Angeles improved slightly in each of the next five seasons, peaking at 45-37 in 1991-92 and earning a playoff berth for the first time since the franchise was known as the Buffalo Braves in 1975-76. The Clippers reached the postseason again in 1993 and 2006, but were a lottery team for most of Baylor's tenure.
Personal
Baylor is married to Elaine, whom he met while coaching the New Orleans Jazz.