Elgin Baylor Career NBA Stats 1959-1972 |
|||||||||||||||||
G |
FGA |
FGM |
FG% |
PTS |
PPG |
3PTA |
3PTM |
3PT% |
FTA |
FTM |
FT% | AST | APG |
REB |
RPG |
BLK |
STL |
846 |
20,171 |
8,693 |
43.1 |
23,149 |
27.4 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
7,391 |
5,763 |
78.0 |
3,650 |
4.3 |
11,463 | 13.5 |
0 |
0 |
Elgin Baylor was born on September 16, 1934 in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Uzziel and John Baylor. Growing up, Elgin was a multi-sport athlete but he didn’t play basketball until his teenage years.
Baylor attended Phelps Vocational School for the first couple of years of high school. However, he would drop out due to poor grades and work for a short period of time. He would regroup and enroll Springarn Spingarn High School. His play earned him All-City honors his senior year. However, his grades became an issue when it came to college. Unable to meet academic requirements, Baylor enrolled into the College of Idaho on a scholarship to play both basketball and football.
Elgin Baylor College Career Stats and Notes
Baylor played for the College of Idaho for one season. His scholarship was retracted after the basketball coach was dismissed. After sitting out one year, Baylor went to Seattle University where he led his team to the NCAA championship game in 1958. They came up short against powerhouse Kentucky 84-72. Although his team lost, Baylor earned tourney’s Most Outstanding Player award. He also earned First Team All-American honors that year as well.
Awards and Achievements |
|
MVP
|
|
All-NBA
|
1st Team: 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969 |
All-Star Selections |
1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970
|
Scoring Titles |
|
NBA Finals MVP |
|
Achievements
|
1971-72 1958-59 NBA All Star Game MVP 1959 Member of NBA 35th Anniversary All Time Team Member of NBA 50th Anniversary All Time Team Member of NBA 75th Anniversary All Time Team |
Elgin Baylor NBA Career Stats and Notes
Baylor was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers number one overall in 1958. Baylor spent his entire career with the Lakers’ franchise. The 10-time First Team All-NBA retired during the 1971-72 season, the year the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 4-2 to claim the NBA title. He was awarded a ring even though he wasn't on the playing roster. Baylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977.
Elgin Baylor Drops NBA Record 61 Points in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals
One of the game’s greats, Baylor’s timing came at the same time of the Boston Celtics’ dynasty. Even teamed up with Hall of Fame guard Jerry West, the duo couldn’t break through to win it all together. However it was never from a lack of talent or trying on Elgin’s part.
In the 1962 NBA Finals, Baylor had one of the greatest games in NBA history, regular season and post season. In Game 5, the Celtics had no answers for the great Elgin Baylor. He torched the Celtics for an NBA Finals record 61 points. He also added 22 rebounds. When the dust settled, the Lakers won 126-121 to take a 3-2 series lead. However, the Celtics’ dynasty prevailed in the last two games and snatched glory from Baylor once again.