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Elgin Baylor changed the very direction of basketball when he joined the NBA and brought his vertical feats of athletic brilliance to a largely horizontal game.
Although the Lakers’ first superstar in Los Angeles never won a championship ring, Baylor still looms high above the franchise and the game he loved.
The Hall of Fame forward died Monday of natural causes in Los Angeles with wife Elaine and daughter Krystal by his side, the team said. He was 86.
An 11-time All-star who soared through the 1960s with a high-scoring artistry that became the model for the modern player.
“Elgin was THE superstar of his era — his many accolades speak to that,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement.
With a silky-smooth jumper and fluid athleticism, Baylor spent parts of 14 seasons with the Lakers.
Baylor’s second career as a personnel executive for 22½ years with the woebegone Clippers was far less successful, but he remained a beloved figure in Los Angeles and beyond.
“Elgin Baylor set the course for the modern NBA as one of the league’s first superstar players,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “In addition to his legendary playing career, Elgin was a man of principle. He was a leading activist during the height of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s and an influential voice among his fellow players.”
Baylor had an uncanny ability to hang in mid-air indefinitely, inventing shots and improvising deception along his flight path. Years before Julius Erving and Michael Jordan became international heroes with their similarly acrobatic games, Baylor created the blueprint for the modern superstar.
Baylor was the first NBA player to score 70 points in a game, and he still holds the single-game NBA Finals scoring record with 61 against Boston in 1962. He averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds over his career, and he even averaged a career-best 38 points in a season in which he only played on weekend passes while on active duty as an Army reservist.
Irving will miss Nets’ road trip
Kyrie Irving will miss the Brooklyn Nets’ three-game road trip this week while dealing with a family matter. The Nets said Monday that Irving would not accompany the team for games Tuesday at Portland, Wednesday at Utah or Friday at Detroit. Irving missed seven games in January after leaving the team for personal reasons.