On March 22, 2021, an NBA legend died. Former Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers forward Elgin Baylor died of natural causes at the age of 86.
The 1958-59 Rookie of the Year was one of the driving forces in the early days of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Baylor made eight trips to the NBA Finals during his career. Seven of them came against the C's.
The rivalry that Baylor and Jerry West created with Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, and John Havlicek, among others, has stood the test of time and was as much a part of the Celtics' 17th championship as it was their first few.
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The Celtics know and appreciate that, and that's why they took some time to post a touching tribute to Baylor after his passing. Here's how the team honored him on their Twitter account.
That's certainly a nice gesture by the C's.
And Baylor absolutely was an all-time great. He made 11 All-Star Games and was named to the All-NBA first-team 10 times while averaging 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.
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The Lakers awarded Baylor with a championship ring in 1972 after he was forced to retire early in the season as a result of knee injuries. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977 and went on to have a fruitful career and a coach with the Jazz and a front office executive with the Clippers.