GOAT Index

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Elgin Baylor: the case for the GOAT

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    Elgin Baylor: the case for the GOAT

    Forward · Lakers · Born 16 September 1934, Washington, D.C., USA · Died 2021 · Career 1958–1971

    An acrobatic forward who spent his whole career with the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers and pioneered the hanging, airborne style of scoring.

    Career highlights

    Why Elgin Baylor could be the GOAT

    Before Erving and Jordan, Baylor brought above-the-rim creativity to the NBA. He averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds over his career, and his 61-point Finals game is still the record. He never won a ring, but he was one of the most innovative players ever.

    What fans say

    Elgin Baylor is #29 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 0–6 head-to-head record from 157 NBA votes. See the full NBA GOAT ranking

    Elgin Baylor head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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