UNDATED (AP) – Elgin Baylor was among the very best NBA players of his era, averaging 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds during a 14-year career spent entirely with the Lakers. The Lakers have announced that Baylor died Monday of natural causes at age 86. Baylor’s greatness occurred before the league gained a hold on television exposure. With a silky-smooth jumper and fluid athleticism, He played a major role in revolutionizing basketball from a ground-bound sport into an aerial show. Baylor was outstanding in the Lakers’ first three seasons after leaving Minneapolis, averaging 35.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists from 1960-63. However, the 11-time All-Star never won a scoring title and went 0-7 in NBA Finals series, eclipsed in points by Wilt Chamberlain and beaten six times by the Boston Celtics. Injuries limited him to 11 games over his final two seasons and caused him to retire during the 1971-72 campaign, the season the Lakers finally won a championship in Los Angeles.