National Basketball Association

Elgin Baylor reunites with Clippers now that Donald Sterling's gone

Published Apr. 23, 2015 8:56 a.m. ET

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Elgin Baylor, who endured a bitter breakup with the Clippers under former owner Donald Sterling, has returned to the fold.

Baylor, a Hall of Fame player and Clippers GM from 1986 to 2008 who sued Sterling after he was fired, sat next to new owner Steve Ballmer at Wednesday night's 111-107 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Baylor was introduced as "a very special guest" during a timeout and the video board showed highlights of his career. The NBA Rookie of the Year in 1959, Baylor was an 11-time All-Star and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977.

Many of his moves as the Clippers' GM failed to pan out, most notably drafting Michael Olowokandi with the No. 1 overall pick in 1998, Danny Ferry No. 2 in 1989 and Darius Miles No. 3 in 2001. But Baylor did have his successes, drafting Danny Manning No. 1 in 1988, trading for Elton Brand in 2001 and reaching the playoffs in 1992 and '93, behind the aquisitions of Mark Jackson and coach Larry Brown, and in 2006, when he won Executive of the Year for the aquisitions of Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley and Vladimir Radmanovic.

Baylor filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against Sterling and the Clippers in 2009, claiming he'd been underpaid and fired because of his race and age. He later withdrew the racial allegations; his other claims were rejected by a state court jury in 2011.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.