Had Elgin Baylor been born 25 years later, his acrobatic moves would have been captured on video, his name emblazoned on sneakers, and his face plastered on cereal boxes. But he played before the days of widespread television exposure…
He was the first to play the game in the air. That’s where his career, his legend and his influence was — elevated, hanging, floating, above all others who strained their necks to observe this unusual pioneer, and also to get a good look at the bottom of his sneakers…
Around the NBA, the ballplayers referred to him as “The Big Hurt.” His contemporaries deferred to him regarding their fashion choices. And he was the league’s unofficial distributor of nicknames…
What is the legacy that is being left by Elgin Baylor? It is the human condition to wonder, “What does my life mean and what does my life contribute to the world?” In short, “Why am I alive?” There are those who choose to spend their lives in hiding, living a life of un-actualized possibilities…
When the Los Angeles Lakers were on the national TV game of the week, a young Julius Erving made sure he never missed it. Erving was bound to be entertained because Elgin Baylor was going to do something that he had never seen before…