Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

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Elgin Baylor, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Robert Riger/Getty Images /

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 39 – Elgin Baylor

On NBA 50 at 50 List

Career: 1958 – 1972

Achievements: All-NBA (10x); All-Star (11x); 36 in career points

Elgin Baylor entered an NBA that was played below the rim, with set shots and layups and simple movements. Baylor absolutely destroyed that conception of basketball, redefining offense as the league’s first true black offensive star, using his athleticism to finish above the rim with an array of moves.

Baylor was a special scorer, averaging 24.9 points per game as a rookie for the Minneapolis Lakers and as many as 38.3 points per game in 1961-62. He paired with Jerry West for much of his career, and together they went to the NBA Finals seven times. Baylor went once before West was drafted and lost to a young Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics; West went once after Baylor retired and won the title they could never get together.

In fact, that 1971-72 season is illustrative of the true impact of Baylor. Without a doubt a natural scorer, he wasn’t a very efficient one, and he was unable to change his game to allow his teammates to shine and elevate the team overall. When it became clear his aging body couldn’t allow him to be the same player, and he wasn’t willing to accept being something less, he retired early in the 1971-72 season, allowing the Lakers to come together and rip off a 33-game winning streak en route to the title.