Elgin Baylor’s 1971-72 NBA Championship Ring sells for $132,000 along with many other highlights
Elgin Baylor’s game worn Lakers warm up jacket sold for $21,250. Photo courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
Elgin Baylor’s 1959 NBA All-Star Game MVP Trophy sold for $43,750. Photo courtesy of Julien’s Auctions
The Collection of Elgin Baylor, the eleven time NBA All-Star, Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee and Los Angeles Lakers legend took place on Friday, May 31 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills. Proving once again that he remains one of the most valuable players in the history of basketball, the auction highlighted hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from his over 50-year career.
With a career spanning fourteen seasons, his style of play set the stage for players like Dr. J and Michael Jordan. Baylor was the first player who took the game off the floor with powerful, high-flying, acrobatic and ballet-like moves never before seen in the game. Bob Short, owner of the Minneapolis Lakers at the time of Baylor’s play, has been quoted as stating that the team would have gone bankrupt without him.
Baylor’s exclusive collection featured a wide array of memorabilia from every stage of his career. From his beginnings at Spingarn High School in Washington D.C., through his 1977 NBA Hall of Fame induction, into his post-playing career as an NBA coach and being named 2006 NBA Executive of the Year. This was the first time property from Elgin Baylor’s personal collection was offered for auction and collectors from around the world bid fast and furious throughout the entire day. Elgin Baylor’s 1971-72 NBA Championship Ring took center court when it sold today for $132,000. Elgin Baylor’s 1959 NBA All-Star Game MVP Trophy also sold for $43,750 after a series of competitive phone bids on the floor while his Basketball Hall of Fame Certificate of Election sold for $12,800. The much-talked-about Elgin Baylor NBA 50 Greatest Players Signed Lithograph and Elgin Baylor’s 50 Greatest Players ring both sold for $53,125 each.
Other Highlights of the auction included the Elgin Baylor Game Worn Bronzed shoes which sold for $8,750, an Elgin Baylor Game Worn L.A. Lakers Warm Up jacket sold for $21,250, the Elgin Baylor Night Los Angeles Lakers Presented Chair sold for $11,875, the Elgin Baylor 14K Gold NBA Lifetime Pass sold for $6,250, and Elgin Baylor’s NBA Career Highlights Plaque sold for $10,625.
