The NBA community lost a legend on Monday. The Los Angeles Lakers announced that 11-time NBA All-Star Elgin Baylor, who spent his entire career with the franchise after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958, has died of natural causes at the age of 86.
Baylor, whose number 22 is hanging in the rafters in the Staples Center, is one of the most accomplished Lakers of all time, and arguably the best player in NBA history to never win a title. Baylor made the All-NBA first team 10 times in his career, including in his first season in the league.
Baylor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977. The Lakers have been wearing Elgin Baylor tribute uniforms throughout this season in his honor.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 22, 2021
Players and fans paid tribute to Baylor on social media after the news broke:
