6. Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor is one of the most underrated players ever to play the game which is tough to do when you averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists on your career.
One of the main reasons for this was likely that he played alongside Jerry West, who gets most of the credit, and later Gail Goodrich and Wilt Chamberlain.
Whenever Kobe is asked about some of his NBA muses, he normally references Magic or Michael Jordan, but he also mentions learning a thing or two from Elgin who he considers, “Dr. J and Michael Jordan before Dr. J and Michael Jordan.”
That said, if you watch closely, you can actually see quite a bit of Baylor’s game in Kobe, in terms of footwork, how they got to the basket and the angles they utilized to score the ball.
Baylor also holds a record that will likely withstand the test of time, scoring 61 points and grabbing 22 boards in 1962 against the Boston Celtics. Similar to Jerry West, many of his records came in defeats and this was no different, with Los Angeles ultimately losing to the Celtics in seven games.
Sadly, Elgin Baylor has no true NBA titles to his name, as the season the Lakers took home the jewelry, Baylor was forced to retire due to knee problems just nine games into the season.
Next: No. 5 Shaq