Elgin Baylor

The original artist — invented modern basketball's aerial game and inspired every high-flying player that followed.

Elgin Gay Baylor was born in Washington DC in 1934. Minneapolis Lakers selected him first overall in the 1958 NBA Draft. His 14-season career produced averages of 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game — the fifth-highest scoring average in NBA history. He was selected to 11 All-Star games and named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times. He invented moves — the midair body twist, the hang time, the finger roll — that became the foundation of modern basketball's aerial game, doing so a decade before similar players arrived. He was the first player to score 70 or more points in an NBA game, doing so before it became routine. He reached the NBA Finals eight times with the Los Angeles Lakers — losing every time, including six times to Bill Russell's Boston Celtics. He never won an NBA championship. He retired 9 games into the 1971-72 season — the Lakers then went on to win the title that year. He averaged 38.3 points per game in the 1962 NBA Finals in one of the greatest individual Finals performances in history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977 and named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. He later served as general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers for 22 years.

Athletic forward with exceptional scoring, rebounding, and innovative moves

Revolutionary player who changed the forward position with his athleticism and scoring ability

• All-Star 11x
• All-NBA First Team 10x
• Rookie of the Year (1959)
• NBA 50th Anniversary Team