Elgin Baylor has passed away at 86 years old.

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One of the greatest to ever play the game. He still holds the record for the most points scored in an NBA Finals game, 61 points against the Boston Celtics, and he was double-teamed.

I got to see him play near the end of his career. I actually rooted against his team (I was a Knicks fan), I always held my breath every time he got the ball on offense.

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1. He was a great one. He had multiple high scoring games in the 50s, 60s and one in the 70s.

And all were before the 3pt shot. He was marvelous to watch.

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2. Yes, he was great to watch. I saw him play near the end of his career.

I briefly read about the racial slights that he and other Black NBA players had to endure (segregated hotels, taxis, ect). As a Black person who never experienced that crass level of discrimination, what Baylor and other pioneering Black people in every profession had to overcome is enraging, imagine where we would be as a country now if people were able to harvest all the fruit of their hard work and perseverance.

I really see that even today, a spectacular Black athlete is spoken of as a freak of nature, the long hours of practice, physical and mental conditioning, and film study gets ignored for star Black athletes, but get harped about endlessly for a star White athlete.