Former Hall of Fame player and member Elgin Baylor, who followed his illustrious career for decades as general manager of the LA Clippers, died at the age of 86.
Baylor died of natural causes on Monday and was surrounded by his wife, Elaine, and his daughter, Krystal, the Los Angeles Lakers said in a statement.
“Elgin was the love of my life and my best friend,” Elaine said in the statement. “And like everyone else, I was amazed at his immense courage, dignity and the time he gave to all the fans. At this time, we ask that I and our family be allowed to mourn his death in private. “.
Considered one of the best basketball players, Baylor was selected 11 times in the All-Star Game and was 10 times All-NBA during his 14 seasons with the Lakers from 1958 to 1971.
He was also the Rookie of the Year 1958-1959, as well as the ‘MVP’ of this year’s All-Star Game. He averaged a double-double in his career, recording 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.
With the Lakers, who moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960, Baylor made eight appearances in the NBA Finals but never won a title, losing a seven-game series to the Boston Celtics on three occasions.
He holds the record for single-game Finals with 61 points against the Celtics in 1962. “Elgin was a superstar of his time,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement.
“He was one of the few Lakers players whose career spanned from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. But more importantly, he was a man of great integrity, he even served his country in the Army. “, he assured.
His highlights also included becoming the first player to score 70 points in a game, and scoring 71 against the New York Knicks in November 1960. This remained the Lakers’ one-game record until that Kobe Bryant scored 81 against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
Baylor retired in the early 1971-72 season due to knee problems.
After his career as a player, Baylor trained at the New Orleans Jazz for three seasons (1976-1979) without a playoff appearance before resigning.
He then found a long-term home in the Clippers ’main office, serving as general manager from 1986 to 2009, although the team made only two appearances in the playoffs during his tenure. He was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2005-06, when the Clippers won 47 games and reached the Western Conference semifinals.
Baylor said he was forced to quit his job because of age and racial discrimination.