On Friday, perhaps the most underrated Lakers' great, Elgin Baylor, finally gets his statue in Star Plaza at LA Live outside STAPLES Center over 40 years after he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Ahead of his statue unveiling at the @STAPLESCenter tonight... we showcase @Lakers legend Elgin Baylor! pic.twitter.com/woUvUXh8Vb
— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2018
From the start of his career, Baylor's greatness was undeniable. Drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers with the no. 1 overall pick in the 1958 draft, Baylor won Rookie of the Year in his first season by averaging a 24.9 points and 15.0 rebounds.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kyle Kuzma is having an historic season and ranks fifth all-time in points as a Lakers' rookie with 1,240 entering Friday night's game. No. 1 on that list is Baylor, of course, with 1,742 points. As a reminder, the NBA did not even have a three-point line back in those days, so Baylor's record is even more impressive nearly 60 years later.
After two seasons in Minneapolis, the Lakers moved to Los Angeles, and Baylor served as the star of the team in those early years in LA. In fact, Baylor averaged over 30 points per game in each in the team's first three seasons in Los Angeles, including the 1961-62 season when the Washington D.C. native put up numbers that numb the mind: 38.3 points, 18.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.
To this day, Baylor still holds the NBA Finals single-game scoring record for a 61-point performance in Boston on Apr. 14, 1962.
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Fittingly, the Lakers opted to give the man that helped move the Lakers from Minneapolis to Los Angeles a statue on the night the Minnesota Timberwolves travel to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
Baylor's long overdue statue will be unveiled at approximately 6:20 p.m. Pacific Time, while the ceremony to honor the 83-year-old living legend will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The ceremony is free and open to the public.
