Elgin Baylor's Three Most Fantastic L.A. Lakers Seasons

Elgin Baylor played his entire NBA career with the Lakers, first in Minneapolis and then in Los Angeles, and ended up getting voted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. He was a complete player that could rebound, score, and play solid defense. But, for a player who could list other great players like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Dick Barnett, Happy Hairston, and more as teammates, the 1958-59, 1962-63 and 1967-68 NBA seasons saw him accomplish something that few players do, and he did it three times.

Baylor's fellow Hall of Fame teammate Jerry West had spent a number of years leading the team in scoring, accomplishing this feat seven times during his career. Baylor himself had lead the team in rebounds most years, especially early in his career, but other Lakers who had lead the team in rebounds during his time on the team were: Wilt Chamberlain, Happy Hairston, Darrell Imhoff, and Leroy Ellis. When it comes to assists, it is hard to argue with Jerry West's impact on the Lakers. He lead the Lakers in assists in ten different years, most of it with Baylor as a teammate. So, what makes the 1958-59, 1962-63, and 1967-68 seasons so special? In those seasons, Elgin Baylor was the Lakers team leader in scoring, rebounding, and assists.

Leading his team in all those categories in one season is an amazing accomplishment for a big man in any era of professional basketball. Doing it in three different years in truly unbelievable, especially considering the talent that he shared the court with.