Ranking the greatest NBA players of all time…
27. Elgin Baylor
14 seasons (1958-1972)Rings: 0MVPs: 0
NBA Finals series record: 0-7Playoff record: 72-62 (.537)Playoff stats: 27.0 PPG (43.9% FG) | 12.9 RPG | 4.0 APG
Regular season games played: 846Stats: 27.4 PPG (43.1% FG) | 13.5 RPG | 4.3 APG
Other Accolades
- 10x All-NBA
- 11x All-Star
- Rookie of the Year (1959)
Complex’s Adam Caparell on Baylor:
“Elgin Baylor never won a ring. But just because Baylor technically never won a title in his 14 years with the Lakers, two of which he spent in Minneapolis, don’t let that cloud how incredible of an offensive force he was and GOAT candidate during the league’s early days.”
“The No. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft, the Rookie of the Year in 1959, an 11-time All-Star, and an astounding 10-time First-Team All-NBA selection, Baylor of course resides on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team as he more than lived up to the hype when he entered the league and left it averaging 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.”
“He was innovative offensively, the first player in NBA history to pour in 70 points in a game, and inarguably will go down as one of the game’s best forwards. A no-brainer Naismith Hall of Famer inductee in 1977, the only thing missing from his sterling résumé was a championship.”
“Technically, Baylor earned one since he was part of the 1971-72 Lakers squad that won it all, but he only played 9 games that season, retiring well before the playoffs started because of a nagging knee injury at age 37.”
But who tops Baylor as the No. 26 greatest player of all time? Find out below.
More NBA: Ranking the greatest NBA players of all time: No. 26
