The NBA World Lost A True Legend With The Passing Of Elgin Baylor

Dick Raphael. Getty Images.

When people talk about all time greats in NBA history, it's impossible to not mention the name Elgin Baylor. Despite that, I feel like the younger generation doesn't really know about him. That seems weird but I get it. He played from 1958 through 1971. Unless you're an NBA history nut or a Lakers fan, it's not crazy that you don't know much about Elgin Baylor.

Essentially, he was a monster

An 11x All Star, 10x All NBA player, the 1958 ROY, and a Hall of Fame talent. It's not his fault he ran into the buzzsaw that was the Bill Russell Celtics. He's widely considered the best player to never win a title but that certainly does not take away from his greatness. He's 36th all time in scoring, 27th all time in rebounding, and 19th all time in triple doubles. 

If you watch him play it's clear that he was way before his time

He was also the first player ever to break the 70 point battier and his 61 point performance in the 1961 playoffs was a record that stood for 24 years. You want to talk about a guy who showed up in the playoffs, I'd say this qualifies

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Those numbers don't even feel real.

Since I'm only 34 and obviously didn't see him play, I called Papa Greenie to get his take. Here's what he said

"The best way to describe Elgin Baylor was that he was as smooth as silk. Great jump shot, ahead of his time and a true joy to watch. A great player and an even better person"

I think if you were to ask a lot of the older generation, they would say something similar. Magic also helped put it in perspective for us youngs

One of the best to ever do it and a true pioneer in the game of basketball. If you like players like Dr. J, well you have Elgin Baylor to thank for that style. What he did for both the Lakers/NBA and social issues cannot be understated. A true legend by every sense of the word.

RIPIP.