Celtics legend Bob Cousy says Elgin Baylor is the greatest small forward in NBA history

Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy had some major praise for late Los Angeles Lakers legend Elgin Baylor.

Cousy believes that Baylor is the greatest small forward in the history of the NBA, putting him above players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

“Still the best, in my judgment, small forward that ever played the game, a guy named Elgin Baylor,” Cousy said.

The Celtics legend showed a ton of love for players from his generation throughout his entire interview with SiriusXM.

A Hall of Famer, Baylor spent his entire career with the Lakers. He is an 11-time All-Star and the 1958-59 NBA Rookie of the Year. In his NBA career, Baylor averaged 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

As for Cousy, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game throughout his storied career.

There is a lot made of the older generations of NBA players and how they might struggle to compete nowadays, but Cousy clearly doesn’t think that is the case.

Baylor was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and he is one of the greatest scorers of his generation.

The Lakers and Celtics have long had a heated rivalry as two of the NBA’s best franchises, so it is nice to see Cousy pay tribute to a Lakers legend.

Baylor played for the Lakers from the 1958-59 season through the 1971-72 campaign. He averaged over 24 points per game in each of his first seven seasons in the league. He also averaged a double-double in all 11 seasons that he was selected to the All-Star team.

The Lakers legend passed away at the age of 86 on March 22, 2021.