Classic SI Photos of Elgin Baylor

Hall of Fame forward Elgin Baylor earned All-American honors at Seattle University before spending 14 seasons with the Lakers, where he posted career averages of 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds. The first overall pick of the 1958 NBA Draft won Rookie of the Year made 11 All-Star teams. In celebration of his 82nd birthday on Sept. 16, 2016, we present these classic SI photos of Elgin Baylor.

Classic SI Photos of Elgin Baylor

Walter Iooss Jr

Elgin Baylor shoots over Tom Sanders during Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics on April 18, 1962 at Boston Garden.

Neil Leifer

Elgin Baylor drives to the basket against Dave Budd during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks on Feb. 26, 1963 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Neil Leifer

Team West head coach Alex Hannum, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Bob Pettit look on from the bench during the NBA All-Star Game on Jan. 1, 1965 at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis.

Walter Iooss Jr

Elgin Baylor drives to the basket against Bill Russell during the 1966 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics at Boston Garden.

Walter Iooss Jr

Elgin Baylor shoots against Don Nelson during the 1966 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics at Boston Garden.

Walter Iooss Jr

Elgin Baylor shoots against John Havlicek during the 1966 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics at Boston Garden.

Walter Iooss Jr

Elgin Baylor shoots against Bill Russell during the 1966 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

Fred Kaplan

Elgin Baylor appears on the cover of the Oct. 24, 1966 issue of Sports Illustrated.

George Long

Elgin Baylor and Jerry West appear on the cover of the April 29, 1968 issue of Sports Illustrated.

James Drake

Elgin Baylor shoots against Dave DeBusschere during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks on May 1, 1970 at the The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

John W. McDonough

Former Los Angeles Lakers Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Elgin Baylor pose together during a photo shoot on Feb. 16, 1992 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. All of their uniform numbers have been retired.

John W. McDonough

Elgin Baylor chats with Kobe Bryant during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers on Oct. 29, 2013 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.