Elgin Baylor

About the Author

Elgin Baylor, the legendary NBA forward whose soaring dunks and graceful play revolutionized basketball during the 1950s and 1960s, has long been celebrated as one of the game's greatest innovators. Standing at 6'5", Baylor's acrobatic style and relentless scoring—averaging over 27 points per game across his 14-season career with the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers—earned him 10 All-Star selections and a spot on the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. Beyond the court, he broke barriers as one of the first Black superstars in a segregated league, using his platform to combat racism and advocate for civil rights. In his memoir 'Hang Time: My Life in Basketball The NBA Legend Who Transformed the Game and Fought Racism,' co-authored with Bruce Jay Friedman, Baylor offers an intimate look at his journey from the segregated South to NBA stardom, the challenges of racial injustice, and the passions that defined his extraordinary life.