The 21 Greatest NBA stars that played for a single team

NBA stars that played for one team #13: Elgin Baylor

Hall of Fame Los Angeles Laker small forward Elgin Baylor was one of the NBA’s first high-flyers, and his athleticism as well as his craftiness made him an elite offensive player. In fact, Baylor has the fourth-highest scoring average in NBA history, ahead of all-time leading scorer LeBron James as well as Kevin Durant, proving that he was indeed the real deal.

He spent his entire 14-year career with the Lakers and played alongside several other Hall of Famers, including Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, and Jerry West, and was a star among stars who could do just about everything on the court. In addition to being a top-tier scorer, he was a well-regarded defender and a dominant rebounder, averaging 13.5 boards per game despite only being 6’5.

However, despite his well-rounded game, Baylor failed to win a championship during his career. That was partly due to the Celtics, who beat Baylor and the Lakers six times in his six NBA Finals appearances. The other issue was several serious injuries, which affected him for the rest of his career.

Ironically, he retired early on during the Lakers’ 1971–72 season, which was the same team that won 33 straight games and the NBA championship. Still, even without a title, Baylor remains an iconic player from the 1960s, whose athleticism helped change the game and pave the way for Julius Irving, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and James.