Julius Erving

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Erving won one championship and one Most Valuable Player award with the New York Nets (now the NBA's Brooklyn Nets) and one NBA championship and one NBA MVP with the Philadelphia 76ers. During his 16 seasons as a player, none of his teams ever missed the postseason. He is approximately the 10th or 11th-highest scorer in ABA/NBA history with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). He was well known for slam dunking from the free-throw line in the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest and was the only player voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA. The basketball slang of being posterized was coined to describe his moves. In 1996 and 2021, Erving was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, respectively. In 1993, Erving was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1994, Erving was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Erving's time with the Nets began amidst a three-team legal dispute involving the Bucks, Hawks, and Squires. After being drafted by Milwaukee and signing a contract with Atlanta, an injunction from Judge Edward Neaher on October 2 prohibited him from playing for anyone but Virginia until arbitration resolved the conflict. Once he reported to the Squires, his game flourished, resulting in a career-best 31.9 points per game during the 1972–1973 season. Upon arriving in New York, Erving signed an eight-year deal worth $350,000 annually. He led the Nets to their first ABA championship in 1974 and secured another title before the league merged with the NBA after the 1975–1976 season. His signature moves, including slam dunking from the free-throw line, became legendary, even though he was only called 'Dr. J' by friend Willie Sojourner during this era.

Reader's Guide

Many consider him one of the most talented players in the history of the NBA; he is widely acknowledged as one of the game's best dunkers. While Connie Hawkins, "Jumping" Johnny Green, Elgin Baylor, Jim Pollard and Gus Johnson performed spectacular dunks before Erving's time, Erving brought the practice into the mainstream. His signature was the slam dunk, since incorporated into the vernacular and basic skill set of the game in the same manner as the crossover dribble and the no look pass. Before Erving, dunking was a practice most commonly used by the big men, usually standing close to the hoop, to show their brutal strength which was seen as style over substance, even unsportsmanlike, by many purists of the game; however, the way Erving utilized the dunk more as a high-percentage shot made at the end of maneuvers generally starting well away from the basket and not necessarily a show of force helped to make the shot an acceptable tactic, especially in trying to avoid a blocked shot. Although the slam dunk is still widely used as a show of power, a method of intimidation and a way to fire up a team and spectators, Erving demonstrated that there can be great artistry and grace in slamming the ball into the hoop, particularly after a launch several feet from that target.

Did You Know?

• Erving was born February 22, 1950, at Meadowbrook Hospital, East Meadow, on Long Island, and raised from the age of 13 in Roosevelt, New York.
• He received the nickname "Doctor" or "Dr. J" from a high school friend named Leon Saunders.
• Erving enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1968 and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game in two varsity seasons.
• In 1970, Erving played for the United States Olympic Development Team, wearing jersey number six, and was the top vote-getter for MVP among that team.
• Erving signed a four-year contract worth $500,000 spread over seven years with the Virginia Squires after leaving college early.