The Greatest NBA Player To Never Win A Title Is Auctioning Off His Championship Ring. (What?)

Elgin Baylor did it all. Rookie of the year. The hall of fame. Eleven all-star appearances, and 10 NBA first-team selections. But though he went to the finals eight times in his 13-plus-year career, he never won the big one. That out of the way, want to buy Elgin Baylor's championship ring?

The dominant forward began suffering knee problems midway through his career, but by the time he began his final season at age 37, they had grown crippling. He played just nine games in the 1971-72 season before retiring. The very next game, the Lakers won their first of an NBA-record 33 in a row. That season, they would go on to beat the Knicks in the finals and raise the first Lakers banner in Los Angeles.

The Lakers granted Baylor a ring, as they did to anyone who had been on the roster at any point that season. You could say that maybe Baylor's getting rid of it now because he has no attachment to a ring he didn't "earn," but that doesn't explain the other 357 pieces of memorabilia he's selling at auction.

"You're thinking there's something financial going on here, but it's not true,'' he said. "I have no financial problems at all. None of that. Seriously."

The ring starts at $40,000. If that's too rich, you can get Baylor's bowling ball and shoes for $150. Or Baylor's gun for $450. Or a signed, game-worn Tom Gugliotta sneaker for $25. (Why is a Tom Gugliotta sneaker in Elgin Baylor's auction? No one knows.)

[ LA Times, via Slam. H/t Brad]