Legendary Los Angeles Laker Elgin Baylor has died at the age of 86.
“Elgin was THE superstar of his era – his many accolades speak to that,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “But more importantly he was a man of great integrity, even serving his country as a U.S. Army reservist, often playing for the Lakers only during his weekend pass.”
Baylor’s wife, Elaine, and daughter, Krystal, were at his side when he died. The team announced Monday that he died of natural causes.
The 11-time NBA All-Star's career launched when the Lakers still played in Minneapolis, and continued on to Los Angeles.
His No. 22 jersey has been retired in the Staples Center rafters and he is among six Lakers luminaries to have a statue outside of Staples Center, including Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and former team announcer Chick Hearn.
Baylor entered the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame after a 13-year career in the NBA, posted an NBA Finals record 61 points in Game 5 of the 1961 NBA Finals against Boston, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award (1959) and making 11 All-Star appearances.
He worked for the Clippers as a personnel executive from 1986 until 2008, when he left the team with acrimony and according to Associated Press, an unsuccessful lawsuit against owner Donald Sterling and the NBA claiming age and race discrimination.