Elgin Baylor's Family Dispute Over Inheritance

Elgin Baylor’s name has long belonged to the bright, clean pages of basketball history. Now it’s in the middle of a bitter family fight.

According to court documents, the Hall of Famer’s daughter, Alison Clayton, has filed a petition accusing her stepmother, Elaine Baylor, of keeping her in the dark about her inheritance and the details of Baylor’s estate.

Baylor died on March 22, 2021, at the age of 86. Alison claims she and her brother didn’t even know their father had passed away at the time, alleging Elaine — who was with Elgin when he died — never informed them and has since refused to share any information about the estate.

The rift, Alison says, didn’t come out of nowhere. She moved to the East Coast in 1991 but maintains she stayed in contact with her father until around 2018. In her filing, she argues that Elaine knew she had a relationship with Elgin for years and still chose to shut her out once he was gone.

For now, Elaine has not responded to the case.

It’s a jarring coda to the life of one of the sport’s greats. Elgin Baylor, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft, spent 14 seasons with the Lakers and carved out a legacy as one of basketball’s most gifted scorers and most graceful forwards. His place in the Basketball Hall of Fame is secure.

The fight over what he left behind is anything but.