Five years after his death on March 22, 2021, at 86, the family of Laker icon Elgin Baylor is embroiled in a court dispute over the Hall of Famer’s estate.
The basketball legend’s daughter, Alison Clayton, has filed a petition against her stepmother, Elaine Baylor, alleging the elder woman withheld inheritance information from her and her brother Alan, who are the products of his first marriage.
Baylor divorced his first wife, Ruby Saunder, in 1974, then remarried Elaine three years later, with whom he had his second daughter, Krystal. Alison relocated from Los Angeles to the East Coast in 1991 but maintains she had a close relationship with her father until 2018. She also claims that she was not immediately informed of her father’s death three years later.
Baylor’s net worth and estate details have not been publicly disclosed, but amid these legal developments, her longtime home has hit the real estate market for $5.4 million. It is an 8,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style residence in Los Angeles’ Beverly Crest area. Located in a gated community, the eight-bedroom showplace boasts panoramic views of the Los Angeles basin.
Baylor and Jerry West, who followed him, were the face of the Los Angeles Lakers. His acrobatic agility and offensive prowess pre-staged the aerial heroics of Michael Jordan, Connie Hawkins, and Julius “Doctor J” Erving. He remains third in career scoring average with 27.36 points per game behind Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07).
During his 14-season career, he was an 11-time All-Star and is one of 16 sports figures honored with bronze statues outside Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
After retiring, Elgin moved into management and eventually became General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite earning the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 2006, he never matched the success of former teammate Jerry West, whose accolades as a coach and executive equaled or exceeded his playing career. After being fired in 2008 and losing a discrimination lawsuit against team owner Donald Sterling, he was validated when Sterling was forced to sell the Clippers in 2014, after the disclosure of racist remarks and practices in management of the organization.
“Justice has been served,” Baylor said afterward in an interview with CNN.
“Now they know what Donald is like, and the things I said before about Donald are absolutely true,” he continued after his grievances were substantiated.
