Elgin Baylor’s Greatest “Move”

The great basketball player Elgin Baylor never played on a World Championship team yet made an amazing, unselfish contribution to one of the great championship teams in any sport.

The 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers, the same team in the news of late as the Miami Heat approach their record 33 consecutive game win skein, started the season in mediocre fashion.

Then Baylor, who made the decision on his own, elected to retire. That gave Jim McMillian the chance to start at the so called, small forward position.

The incredible 33 game winning streak, still the record, began the Friday night “Jim Mac” (When are good times such as those with that great team and “Jimmy Mac” coming back?!!) was inserted into the lineup. The team set a then NBA record going (69-13) and won the first Los Angeles NBA title.

I remember reading Merv Harris’ book “The Fabulous Lakers” about that great team and how after they won the title Elgin Baylor stood alone at the victory celebration. Someone, perhaps coach Bill Sharman, approached Elgin and told him he “was a part of this too.”

Dare I say, that of all Elgin Baylor’s gravity defying great moves in the actual games his best “move” was his unselfish retirement decision. It enabled the great “71-’72 Lakers to make history that is talked of to this day.

Bonus video: The Greatness of Elgin Baylor