He later said he realized he was in his element during his first game as a rookie. The ABA and NBA were already talking about a merger, players were jumping from league to league and franchises were in flux.Īlthough Virginia already had ABA scoring champ Charlie Scott, Erving began to contribute immediately. Professional basketball was extremely volatile in 1971-72, the year Erving launched his brilliant career. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in 1968, and although he averaged 26.3 ppg and 20.2 rpg over two seasons, he was still fairly obscure when he left the school in 1971 to sign as an undergraduate free agent with the Squires. Although the origins of his nickname remain unclear, the most common story has the moniker coming from a high school friend, who dubbed Erving “Doctor” because Erving called him “Professor.” The name stuck, and it even came to define the way Erving “operated” on a basketball court. He starred for Roosevelt High School, earning a reputation as a fundamentally sound (but not spectacular) player.

Julius Winfield Erving II was born on February 22, 1950, in Roosevelt, N.Y. He scored 30,026 points in his combined ABA and NBA career only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki have scored more points in the history of professional basketball. During his 11-year NBA career, Erving was an All-Star each season, the MVP in 1981 and a five-time member of the All-NBA First Team. In his five ABA seasons, Erving won three scoring titles, three Most Valuable Player awards and two championships. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward also played for 11 years with the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to the NBA crown in 1983. Widely regarded as the greatest player of his time, he is often considered to have been the main catalyst for the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Julius Erving was 1 of the NBA's most exciting players ever who collected an NBA MVP and 11 All-Star nods in his career.Įrving began his professional career in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets. Julius was the first player I ever remember who transcended sports and was known by one name - Doctor.” “He understood what his role was and how important it was for him to conduct himself as a representative of the league. “As a basketball player, Julius was the first to truly take the torch and become the spokesman for the NBA,” said friend and former coach Billy Cunningham. He was the epitome of class, and no other player was more respected. Erving was one of the first players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that would prevail in the decades to follow.Ī gracious, dignified and disciplined man, Erving was an ideal ambassador for the game. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before like midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks.

J,” was the dominant player of his era and an innovator who changed the way the game was played. Julius Erving, the great and wondrous “Dr. > Archive 75: Julius Erving | 75 Stories: Julius Erving

Julius Erving revolutionized the game with his graceful-yet-powerful playing style that set the tone for future NBA greats.

Julius erving sixers