Elgin Baylor vs. Ron Harper Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Ron Harper and Elgin Baylor, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Elgin Baylor played 14 years in the NBA, 1 less than Ron Harper, who played 15. Elgin Baylor had the first of his seasons in 1958-59, while Ron Harper had his rookie season in 1986-87. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achievements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Elgin Baylor 14 12 1958-59 to 1971-72
Ron Harper 15 10 1986-87 to 2000-01

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1958-591986-87
Team Minneapolis LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 70 40.8 24.9 - - 15.0 4.1 - - - 3.9 8.6 21.2 .408 - - - 7.6 9.8 .777
difference:+12+3.4+2.0+10.2+0.7-0.9+0.4+1.5+.047+2.9+2.9+.093
Ron Harper 82 37.4 22.9 2.1 2.7 4.8 4.8 2.5 1.0 4.2 3.0 9.0 19.7 .455 0.2 1.1 .213 4.7 6.9 .684
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 13 42.8 25.5 - - 12.0 3.3 - - - 4.0 9.4 23.3 .403 - - - 6.7 8.7 .770
Ron Harper DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1959-601987-88
Team Minneapolis LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div FinalsCavaliers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 70 41.0 29.6 - - 16.4 3.5 - - - 3.3 10.8 25.4 .424 - - - 8.1 11.0 .732
difference:+13+8.9+14.2+12.5+1.4-0.5+4.8+12.6+.040+4.7+6.1+.027
Ron Harper 57 32.1 15.4 1.1 2.8 3.9 4.9 2.1 0.9 2.8 2.8 6.0 12.8 .464 0.1 0.4 .150 3.4 4.9 .705
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 9 45.3 33.4 - - 14.1 3.4 - - - 4.2 12.3 26.0 .474 - - - 8.8 10.4 .840
difference:+5+11.8+15.6+9.1+0.4-1.9+4.8+10.2+.002+6.0+6.4+.152
Ron Harper 4 33.5 17.8 1.0 4.0 5.0 3.8 2.8 1.0 2.8 2.3 7.5 15.8 .476 0.0 0.5 .000 2.8 4.0 .688

Season 3

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1960-611988-89
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div FinalsCavaliers Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 73 42.9 34.8 - - 19.8 5.1 - - - 3.8 12.8 29.7 .430 - - - 9.3 11.8 .783
difference:+9+8.1+16.2+14.8+0.2-1.1+5.6+15.7+.081+5.4+6.6+.032
Ron Harper 82 34.8 18.6 1.5 3.5 5.0 5.3 2.3 0.9 2.8 2.7 7.2 14.0 .511 0.4 1.4 .250 3.9 5.2 .751
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 12 45.0 38.1 - - 15.3 4.6 - - - 3.7 14.2 30.2 .470 - - - 9.8 11.8 .824
difference:+7+7.2+18.5+11.1+0.6-0.3+6.4+16.4+.095+5.8+6.6+.055
Ron Harper 5 37.8 19.6 1.4 2.8 4.2 4.0 2.2 0.8 1.4 4.0 7.8 13.8 .565 0.0 0.4 .000 4.0 5.2 .769

Season 4

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1961-621989-90
Team Los Angeles LakersCleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 48 44.4 38.3 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.2 14.2 33.1 .428 - - - 9.9 13.1 .754
difference:+13+5.3+15.5+12.7+0.6-0.2+5.6+14.9+.045+4.7+6.5+.034
Ron Harper 35 39.1 22.8 2.1 3.8 5.9 5.2 2.3 1.2 2.9 3.0 8.6 18.2 .473 0.4 1.5 .275 5.2 6.6 .788
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 13 43.9 38.6 - - 17.7 3.6 - - - 3.5 14.3 32.7 .438 - - - 10.0 12.9 .774
Ron Harper DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1962-631990-91
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 80 42.1 34.0 - - 14.3 4.8 - - - 2.8 12.9 28.4 .453 - - - 8.3 9.9 .837
difference:+41+6.6+14.4+9.5+0.6+5.6+9.7+.062+4.6+4.3+.169
Ron Harper 39 35.5 19.6 1.5 3.3 4.8 5.4 1.7 0.9 3.3 2.8 7.3 18.7 .391 1.2 3.8 .324 3.7 5.6 .668
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 13 43.2 32.6 - - 13.6 4.5 - - - 3.7 12.3 27.8 .442 - - - 8.0 9.7 .825
Ron Harper DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1963-641991-92
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisClippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 78 40.6 25.4 - - 12.0 4.4 - - - 3.0 9.7 22.8 .425 - - - 6.0 7.5 .804
difference:+4+2.3+7.2+6.5+0.7-0.6+2.8+7.0+.015+2.4+2.6+.068
Ron Harper 82 38.3 18.2 1.5 4.0 5.5 5.1 1.9 0.9 3.1 2.4 6.9 15.8 .440 0.8 2.6 .303 3.6 4.9 .736
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 5 44.2 24.2 - - 11.6 5.6 - - - 3.4 9.0 23.8 .378 - - - 6.2 8.0 .775
difference:+3.0+6.2+5.2+1.0-0.8+1.2+6.4+.070+4.0+5.2+.011
Ron Harper 5 41.2 18.0 2.0 4.4 6.4 4.6 1.0 0.8 3.0 2.6 7.8 17.4 .448 0.2 1.8 .111 2.2 2.8 .786

Season 7

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1964-651992-93
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsClippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 74 41.3 27.1 - - 12.8 3.8 - - - 3.2 10.3 25.7 .401 - - - 6.5 8.2 .792
difference:+6+4.2+9.1+7.5+0.7-0.5+3.5+10.7+.050+2.7+3.2+.023
Ron Harper 80 37.1 18.0 1.5 3.9 5.3 4.5 2.2 0.9 2.8 2.7 6.8 15.0 .451 0.7 2.3 .280 3.8 5.0 .769
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 1 5.0 0.0 - - 0 1.0 - - - 0.0 0.0 2.0 .000 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
difference:+4+29.8+18.0+4.0+2.2-1.4+7.4+13.6+.474+2.2+3.4
Ron Harper 5 34.8 18.0 0.8 3.2 4.0 3.2 3.0 2.0 2.2 1.4 7.4 15.6 .474 1.0 2.0 .500 2.2 3.4 .647

Season 8

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1965-661993-94
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 65 30.4 16.6 - - 9.6 3.4 - - - 2.4 6.4 15.9 .401 - - - 3.8 5.2 .739
difference:+10+7.7+3.5+3.5+1.2-0.2+1.2+1.9+.025+0.2+0.4+.024
Ron Harper 75 38.1 20.1 1.7 4.4 6.1 4.6 1.9 0.7 3.2 2.2 7.6 17.8 .426 0.9 3.1 .301 4.0 5.6 .715
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 14 41.9 26.8 - - 14.1 3.7 - - - 2.7 10.4 23.4 .442 - - - 6.1 7.5 .810
Ron Harper DNP------ --- ----------

Season 9

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1966-671994-95
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 70 38.7 26.6 - - 12.8 3.1 - - - 3.0 10.2 23.7 .429 - - - 6.3 7.7 .813
difference:+7+18.8+19.7+10.5+1.1-1.3+7.5+17.3+.003+5.2+6.0+.195
Ron Harper 77 19.9 6.9 0.7 1.7 2.3 2.0 1.3 0.4 1.3 1.7 2.7 6.4 .426 0.4 1.4 .282 1.1 1.7 .618
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 3 40.3 23.7 - - 13.0 3.0 - - - 2.0 9.3 25.3 .368 - - - 5.0 6.7 .750
difference:+3+33.6+21.7+12.0+2.3-1.0+8.3+23.0+.061+5.0+6.7
Ron Harper 6 6.7 2.0 0.3 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.2 1.0 1.0 2.3 .429 0.0 0.3 .000 0.0 0.0 -

Season 10

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1967-681995-96
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 77 39.3 26.0 - - 12.2 4.6 - - - 3.0 9.8 22.2 .443 - - - 6.3 8.1 .786
difference:+3+15.7+18.6+9.5+2.0-1.3+6.9+15.9+.024+5.1+6.4+.081
Ron Harper 80 23.6 7.4 0.9 1.7 2.7 2.6 1.3 0.4 0.9 1.7 2.9 6.3 .467 0.4 1.3 .269 1.2 1.7 .705
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 15 42.2 28.5 - - 14.5 4.0 - - - 2.7 11.7 25.1 .468 - - - 5.1 7.5 .679
difference:+3+14.8+19.7+10.8+1.5-0.6+8.5+17.7+.043+3.5+5.2+.011
Ron Harper 18 27.4 8.8 1.4 2.3 3.7 2.5 1.4 0.4 1.0 2.1 3.2 7.4 .425 0.8 2.6 .319 1.6 2.3 .690

Season 11

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1968-691996-97
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 76 40.3 24.8 - - 10.6 5.4 - - - 2.7 9.6 21.5 .447 - - - 5.5 7.5 .743
difference:+17.4+18.5+8.1+2.9-0.9+7.3+16.2+.011+4.7+6.4+.036
Ron Harper 76 22.9 6.3 0.6 1.9 2.5 2.5 1.1 0.5 0.7 1.8 2.3 5.3 .436 0.9 2.5 .362 0.8 1.1 .707
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 18 35.6 15.4 - - 9.2 4.1 - - - 3.1 5.9 15.4 .385 - - - 3.5 5.4 .649
difference:+1+8.5+7.9+4.9+1.1-0.8+3.3+8.8+.015+2.4+3.9+.101
Ron Harper 19 27.1 7.5 1.1 3.2 4.3 3.0 1.3 0.7 0.6 2.3 2.6 6.6 .400 1.1 3.2 .344 1.1 1.5 .750

Season 12

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1969-701997-98
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 54 41.0 24.0 - - 10.4 5.4 - - - 2.4 9.5 19.5 .486 - - - 5.1 6.6 .773
difference:+28+13.1+14.7+6.9+2.5-0.2+5.9+11.4+.045+3.1+4.0+.023
Ron Harper 82 27.9 9.3 1.3 2.2 3.5 2.9 1.3 0.6 1.1 2.2 3.6 8.1 .441 0.2 1.0 .190 2.0 2.6 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 18 37.1 18.7 - - 9.6 4.6 - - - 2.8 7.7 16.4 .466 - - - 3.3 4.5 .741
difference:+3+10.2+12.0+5.9+2.3-0.8+5.0+10.6+.007+2.2+2.6+.126
Ron Harper 21 26.9 6.7 1.0 2.6 3.7 2.3 1.0 0.9 0.9 2.0 2.7 5.8 .459 0.2 0.9 .263 1.1 1.9 .615

Season 13

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1970-711998-99
Team Los Angeles LakersChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 2 28.5 10.0 - - 5.5 1.0 - - - 3.0 4.0 9.5 .421 - - - 2.0 3.0 .667
difference:+33+3.1+1.2+0.4+2.3-0.7+0.2+1.6+.044+0.1+.036
Ron Harper 35 31.6 11.2 1.4 3.7 5.1 3.3 1.7 1.0 1.9 2.3 4.2 11.1 .377 0.8 2.4 .318 2.0 2.9 .703
Playoffs Stats
* Neiher Elgin Baylor nor Ron Harper played in the postseason in their season 13

Season 14

Elgin Baylor Ron Harper
Season 1971-721999-00
Team Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
14th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor 9 26.6 11.8 - - 6.3 2.0 - - - 2.2 4.7 10.8 .433 - - - 2.4 3.0 .815
difference:+71+1.1+4.8+2.1+1.4-0.1+2.0+4.2+.034+1.1+1.2+.135
Ron Harper 80 25.5 7.0 1.2 3.0 4.2 3.4 1.1 0.5 1.7 2.1 2.7 6.6 .399 0.4 1.3 .311 1.3 1.8 .680
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Elgin Baylor DNP------ --- ----------
Ron Harper 23 27.9 8.6 1.3 2.4 3.7 3.2 1.0 0.6 1.2 2.7 3.4 7.9 .431 0.4 1.7 .231 1.4 2.0 .702

Additional Years

* Ron Harper played 1 season more than Elgin Baylor in the NBA.

In that period—his season 15 in 2001—Ron Harper played in the Playoffs and won the NBA Championship.