The judge then sent the case to arbitration because of an arbitration clause in Erving’s contract with Virginia. Hall of Famer Julius Erving was on the Posted Up Podcast with Chris Haynes, and the 16-time All-Star was asked to assemble his all-time great NBA roster. He attended Roosevelt High School and played for its basketball team. Erving had provided financial support for Stevenson over the years, but had not otherwise been part of her life. 32 jersey, and the Philadelphia 76ers his No. This simple sticker card showcases an older Erving … J."[16]. Erving signed an eight-year deal worth a reported $350,000 per year. The Bucks asserted their rights to Erving via the draft, while the Squires went to court to force him to honor his contract. As he came inside of the 3-point line, he cupped the ball into his wrist and forearm, rocking the ball back and forth before taking off for what Lakers radio broadcaster Chick Hearn best described as a "Rock The Baby" slam dunk: he slung the ball around behind his head and dunked over a ducking Cooper. As of 2009, Erving was the owner of The Celebrity Golf Club International outside of Atlanta, but the club was forced to file for bankruptcy soon after. Julius Erving on NBA 2K21 He performed a crossover to blow by multiple defenders and seemingly glided to the hoop with ease. There, Erving executed the legendary "Baseline Move", a behind-the-board reverse layup. Although Erving's fatherhood of Alexandra Stevenson was known privately to the families involved, it did not become public knowledge until Stevenson reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1999, the first year she qualified to play in the tournament. Julius Erving's full details including attributes, animations, tendencies, coach boosts, shoe boosts, upgradable badges, evolutions (stats and badge upgrades), ... Defense. He led the Squires into the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost to the Rick Barry-led New York Nets in seven games. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential basketball players of all time and the greatest ABA player of all time,[1][2][3] Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA)[4] and was the best-known player in that league when it merged into the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1975–76 season. [20], Although NBA rules at the time did not allow teams to draft players who were less than four years removed from high school, the ABA instituted a “hardship” rule that would allow players to leave college early. The Bird vs. Erving matchup became arguably the top personal rivalry in the sport (along with Bird vs. Magic Johnson), inspiring the early Electronic Arts video game One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird. Now, Dorys Erving helps her husband Julius Erving to run his business in several fields, such as hotels and others. The Julius Erving Award. In his ABA days, he would guard the best forward, whether small forward or power forward, for over 40 minutes a game, and simultaneously be the best passer, ball handler, and clutch scorer every night. However, prior to the draft, he signed a contract with the NBA Atlanta Hawks worth more than $1 million with a $250,000 bonus. [60], CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (, NBA TV – Greatest NBA Rivalries. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and went on to work for NBC as a studio analyst for their basketball coverage. The public disclosure of their relationship did not initially lead to contact between father and daughter. The end of the 1975–76 ABA season finally brought the ABA–NBA merger. In 1980, the 76ers prevailed over the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Note that All-Time Players' ratings never change. [34], The Nets, Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs joined the NBA for the 1976–77 season. Despite being only 6’7″, Erving was one of the most dominant players in the 1970s and early 80s. ESPN Books. Note that Classic Players' ratings never change. 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. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Converse (prior to their 2001 bankruptcy), Darden Restaurants, Inc., Saks Incorporated and The Sports Authority. [55], In 1988, Erving received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Julius Erving, known as Dr. J., was one of the great superstars of professional basketball during the 1970s and 1980s. [31], The Squires, like most ABA teams, were on rather shaky financial ground. According to Dr. J, the Los Angeles Lakers star had the luxury of picking his own teams and that played major part in excluding him from Erving's teams. [6] 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. Players, There’s No Such Thing as a Slam Dunk, "Video: Julius 'Dr. He is considered by many as the greatest dunker of all time. J' Erving can still dunk a basketball at age 63", "This Video of Julius Erving Dunking at the Age of 63 Is Life-Changing", "Dr. J' Julius Erving explains his nickname exclusively to Class Act Sports", "Spencer Haywood College Stats — College Basketball", http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/c8aaed6f#/c8aaed6f/22, The Graduate On Sunday, Julius Erving Gets His College Degree, "The Evolution of Younger Athletes in Professional Sports", "Erving of Squires May Switch to the N.B.A. Erving retired in 1987 at the age of 37. In the postseason, Erving averaged 34.7 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. The Erving-led Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets in the ABA’s final championship. [23][24], Erving quickly established himself as a force and gained a reputation for hard and ruthless dunking. His spectacular play established the Nets as one of the better teams in the ABA, and brought fans and credibility to the league. [58] They married in 2008. [20][21] Erving also holds an honorary doctorate from the school. Julius Erving helped the New York Nets win the ABA championship in 1974 and 1976, before switching to the NBA and joining the Philadelphia 76ers. Atlanta appealed Kennedy's decision to the league owners, who also supported the Bucks’ position. The Nets also sent $425,000 to the Hawks to reimburse the team for its legal fees, fines and the bonus paid to Erving. I have a buddy—his name is Leon Saunders—and he lives in Atlanta, and I started calling him "the professor", and he started calling me "the doctor". Before her marriage with Julius, she worked as a retail dealer in Florida. [28] While waiting for the owners’ decision, Erving played in one more preseason game, earning the Hawks another fine. The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy. In the following years, Erving coped with a team that was not yet playing at his level. Another of Erving's most memorable plays came in the final moments of a regular-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1983. Together they had four children. Ratings have been updated! He was an excellent all around player who was also an underrated defender. ...And that's where it came from. Many of Erving's acrobatic highlight feats and clutch moments were unknown because of the ABA's scant television coverage. Erving maintained his all-star caliber of play into his twilight years, averaging 22.4, 20.0, 18.1, and 16.8 points per game in his final seasons. Erving has spoken about his faith, saying, "After searching for the meaning of life for over ten years, I found the meaning in Jesus Christ. Although he came well before the insert craze, Julius Irving does have one that makes the list. 320.8k Followers, 132 Following, 216 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Julius Erving (@juliuserving) He scored 27.3 points per game as a rookie, was selected to the All-ABA Second Team, made the ABA All-Rookie Team, led the ABA in offensive rebounds, and finished second to Artis Gilmore for the ABA Rookie of the Year Award. Julius Erving is at center court at Scope in Norfolk at a Virginia Squires game in the early 1970s. "A young Julius Erving was like Thomas Edison, he was always inventing something new every night", Johnny Kerr told ABA historian Terry Pluto. [32] Erving established himself as the most important player in the ABA. [22] Erving took advantage of the rule change and left Massachusetts after his junior year to sign a four-year contract worth $500,000 spread over seven years with the Virginia Squires. On NBA 2K21, this All-Time version of Julius Erving has an Overall 2K Rating of 94 with a Build of a 2-Way Slasher. He received the nickname "Doctor" or "Dr. J" from a high school friend named Leon Saunders. In 1997, he joined the front office of the Orlando Magic as Vice President of RDV Sports and Executive Vice President. Ultimately, Erving’s 16 seasons produced career stats of 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. In a time when few players left college early to join the Pros Julius Erving did just that. Boosts player's Takeover meter when completing a dunk on a fastbreak, Improves the chances of completing a successfull alley-oop dunk/layup, Boosts team's Takeover meters after completing a highlight play, Boosts the ability to hit high degree of difficulty layups, Provides more explosive first steps out of triple threat and size-ups, Improves the ability to convert contact layups and dunks in traffic, Boosts the shot percentage for layups when moving across the paint, Improves a player's ability to beat defenders with an advanced layup or dunk gather, Gives an additional boost for having good layup timing, Reduces the fatigue effects from continually finishing at the rim with contact, Increases the chance of hitting floaters and runners, Boosts the chance of hitting a jump shot immediately after a catch, Gives a boost to shots taken near the corner, Improves the ability to shoot difficult shots off the dribble, Improves a player's ability to make effective outlet passes after grabbing a rebound, Increases overall speed with the ball in transition, Improves a player's ability to create space from defender, Raises the chances of getting a chase-down block, Improves a player's ability to navigate through screens effectively on defense, Improves a player's ability to steal the ball from a ball handler. 90 Pass Perception. [38] Years later, Boe regretted having to trade Erving to join the NBA, saying, "The merger agreement killed the Nets as an NBA franchise. However, playing with other stars-such as former ABA standout George McGinnis, future NBA All-Star Lloyd Free, and aggressive Doug Collins allowed him to focus on playing more team-oriented ball. As of 2019[update], Erving ranks eighth on the list, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Wilt Chamberlain. Dr J called it "just another move". He attended the University of Massachusetts and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, making him one of only six NCAA men’s basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. J” Erving thinks LeBron James is the king of tremendous groups, which is why he didn’t embody the Lakers star on his personal “super team.” The Hall of Famer made waves on social media this week, when he assembled his all-time NBA roster … Erving enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in 1968. [7] 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 almost balletic style to slamming the ball into the hoop, particularly after a launch several feet from that target.[8]. Find the perfect Julius Erving stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Despite these defeats, Erving was named the NBA MVP in 1981 and was again voted to the 1982 All-NBA First Team.[41]. In his ABA and NBA careers combined, he scored more than 30,000 points. [47][48][49] After his basketball career ended, he became a businessman, obtaining ownership of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Philadelphia and doing work as a television analyst. Erving has called this the worst day of his life. 90 Defensive Consistency. He did not have James on the first team. [24] He discovered that his agent at the time, Steve Arnold, was employed by the Squires and convinced him to sign a below-market contract. [citation needed]. Erving was born February 22, 1950, in East Meadow, New York,[9][10][11][12][13] and raised from the age of 13 in Roosevelt, New York. 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. [43] In 1986, he announced that he would retire after the season, causing every game he played to be sold out with adoring fans. He joined Pete Maravich at the Hawks' training camp, as they prepared for the upcoming season. The following year, the cash-strapped Squires sold his contract to the New York Nets. He would go all the way to the end of the court and run to release a free throw line dunk. Julius Erving: The more successful people are in life — and I’ve found this to be true — have this resiliency about them, where no matter what comes down the pike, they’re not going to quit. [25], Under NBA rules, he became eligible for the 1972 NBA draft and the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall). Erving refused to play under these conditions and held out in training camp. Dr J's famous "Rock The Baby Dunk" Against Lakers. With Erving and Nate Archibald (acquired in a trade with Kansas City), the Nets were poised to pick up right where they left off. Then 7′2″ center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar crossed his way, blocking the route to the basket and forcing him outwards. Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets (now the NBA's Brooklyn Nets) and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. 9. 75 Steal. [19] He then sought “hardship” entry into professional basketball in 1971. During a recent appearance on ‘Posted Up with Chris Haynes,’ Julius Erving explained why LeBron James is not on his top two all-time-NBA teams. Julius and Turquoise Erving were subsequently divorced and Erving continued his relationship with Madden, with whom he had three more children, Jules Erving and two others, thus four in total. Despite a smaller role, Erving stayed unselfish. On the combined NBA/ABA scoring list, Erving ranked third with 30,026 points. This move would have brought him together with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. MJ even spoke about Erving once. 1986-87 Fleer Sticker Julius Erving #5. This dunk is considered by many to be one of the strongest dunks ever attempted considering he ran full court with all five defenders running with him. [5] His signature dunk 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. [37] For all intents and purposes, the Nets traded their franchise player for a berth in the NBA. Get the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about not available Julius Erving on ESPN. The Erving deal left the Nets in ruin; they promptly crashed to a 22–60 record, the worst in the league. Understandably, players like Michael Jordan and Grant Hill grew up idolizing Dr.J. This move, along with his free-throw line dunk, has become one of the signature events of his career. Julius Erving… Eventually, coach Billy Cunningham and top-level players like Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, and Bobby Jones were added to the mix and the franchise was very successful. The Sixers were still eliminated twice in the Eastern Conference Finals. [30], Back in the ABA, his game flourished, and he achieved a career-best 31.9 points per game in the 1972–1973 season. Erving was inducted in 1993 into the Basketball Hall of Fame and was also named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team. He displayed a skill-set never seen before and even made dunking the ball cooler. The Sixers won the Atlantic Division and were the top drawing team in the NBA. [42] In fact, the Sixers went four-five-four, losing one game to the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference finals, then sweeping the Lakers to win the NBA title. In 1994, Erving was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time. NBA legend and champion Julius Erving went viral on Tuesday after he revealed his personal choices for NBA all-time teams. Although dunking from the foul line had been done by other players (Jim Pollard and Wilt Chamberlain in the 1950s, for example), Erving introduced the dunk jumping off the foul line to a wide audience, when he demonstrated the feat in the 1976 ABA All-Star Game Dunking Contest. During his 16 seasons as a player, none of his teams ever missed the postseason. However, the Lakers won 4–2 with superb play from, among others, Magic Johnson. Eric Futterman is behind the scorer's table, the young teen wearing a white belt. Julius Erving is among the very best players who ever played for the 76ers franchise and had been selected as a member of the All-Time Philadelphia 76ers NBA team by 2K. NBA legend Julius “Dr. Erving would start by dunking two balls in the hoop. He was well known for slam dunking from the free-throw line in slam dunk contests and was the only player voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA. Business West, Breaking Down the Barriers, December 1, 2004, Julius Erving Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff blocks leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders, For Some N.B.A. Finally, Atlanta would receive draft compensation should a merger of the league result in a common draft. 90 Perimeter Defense. Julius Erving is among the very best players who ever played for the 76ers franchise and had been selected as a member of the All-Time Philadelphia 76ers NBA team by 2K. However, Erving enjoyed success off the court, becoming one of the first basketball players to endorse many products and to have a shoe marketed under his name. [52] He was ranked by ESPN as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century. He won two ABA titles and the 1983 NBA championship. He plays at the Small Forward or Shooting Guard position in this All-Time team. This dunk is generally regarded as one of the greatest dunks of all time. [35], After several teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers lobbied to obtain him, the Nets offered Erving's contract to the New York Knicks in return for waiving the indemnity, but the Knicks turned it down. Sports Illustrated, `` Clubhouse Lawyer: Law in the league owners, who also supported the Bucks their. 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