Category profile
- Dominance
- 86
- Peak
- 92
- Longevity
- 78
- Honours
- 80
- Statistics
- 92
Career timeline · Points per game
| Season | Points per game | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 24.9 | |
| 1959 | 29.6 | |
| 1960 | 34.8 | |
| 1961 | 38.3 | |
| 1962 | 34 | |
| 1963 | 25.4 | |
| 1964 | 27.1 | |
| 1965 | 16.6 | |
| 1966 | 26.6 | |
| 1967 | 26 | |
| 1968 | 24.8 | |
| 1969 | 24 | |
| 1970 | 11.8 |
Data sources
- NBA
- Basketball Reference
- Olympedia
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Elgin Baylor ranks #53 in Basketball
Elgin Baylor ranks 53rd among Basketball athletes on GOAT Rank and 391st of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 85.3 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 92, Longevity 78, Honours 80, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Basketball reference universe of 399 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.
The record covers 1958–1972 with 13 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1961, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes all-star selections 11, career points 23149, points per game 27.4, finals appearances 8.
Immediately ahead sits Wes Unseld on 84.1, a gap of -1.2 points. Directly behind is Gary Payton on 83.0. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.
Elgin Baylor GOAT Score explained
- Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
- Measures how far Baylor stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Basketball cohort.
- Peak92/100 · weight 20%
- Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1961. Scored 92/100.
- Longevity78/100 · weight 20%
- Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 13 recorded seasons. Scored 78/100.
- Honours80/100 · weight 20%
- Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 80/100.
- Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
- Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.
Top Baylor comparisons
Elgin Baylor — frequently asked
- Is Elgin Baylor the GOAT?
- Not on the current data. Elgin Baylor ranks 53rd in Basketball with a GOAT Score of 85.3, behind LeBron James on 95.6.
- What is Elgin Baylor's GOAT Score?
- 85.3 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 78 (20%), Honours 80 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
- Where does Elgin Baylor rank all time?
- 391st of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 53rd within Basketball.
- Elgin Baylor vs Wes Unseld: who ranks higher?
- Elgin Baylor, on 85.3 against Wes Unseld's 84.1 — a margin of 1.2 points.