Julius (Winfield) Erving - Career, NBA statistics, Memorable feats, Quotes, Influences

Basketball player, born in Hempstead, New York, USA. One of basketball's greatest and most acrobatic players, he gained national attention while playing for the University of Massachusetts. He played forward for the American Basketball Association (ABA) Virginia Squires and New York Nets (1972–6), and for the National Basketball Association (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers (1977–87). His combined ABA and NBA lifetime points scored (30 026) is the third best in history, and he was an All-NBA first team selection six times.

Julius Erving

Position	Small Forward
Nickname	Dr. J
Height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Nationality	United States
Born	February 22, 1950 Roosevelt, New York
High school	Roosevelt High School
College	University of Massachusetts
Draft	12th overall, 1972 Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career	1971 – 1987
Former teams	Virginia Squires 1971–73, New York Nets 1973–76, Philadelphia 76ers 1976–87
Awards	* ABA MVP (1974, 1976) ABA First Team All-Star (1973-76) ABA championship with New York Nets (1974, 1976) Led the ABA in scoring (1973, 31.9 ppg) and in 1974 (27.4 ppg) Five-time ABA All-Star (1972-76) Holds career record for highest scoring average (28.7 ppg) in a minimum of 250 games NBA MVP (1981) All-NBA First Team (1978, 1980-83) All-NBA Second Team (1977, 1984) 11 NBA All-Star Games (1977-87) Two-time All-Star Game MVP (1977-after scoring 30 points, 1983-after scoring 25 points) One of only three players in pro basketball history to score more than 30,000 career points Upon enshrinement, ranked in combined ABA/NBA history top 10 in the following categories: third in scoring (30,026, 24.2 ppg), eighth in games played (1,243), seventh in minutes played (45,227), third in field goals made (11,818), fifth in field goals attempted (23,370), third in most free throws made (6,256) and first in steals Jersey retired by both the Nets and the 76ers NBA 35th Anniversary All-Time Team (1980) NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996) Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship Award (1983) Jackie Robinson Award presented by Ebony Magazine (1983) American Express Man of the Year (1985)
Hall of Fame	1993

Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950 in Roosevelt, New York), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a former American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim.

Erving helped legitimize the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA), and much as some players are considered "the team," Dr. J was considered "the league."

Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles while playing with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.

Erving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Career

High school and college

Erving earned the nickname "Doctor" in high school, where he displayed a precise method of play for Roosevelt High School.

At that time, professional basketball was in flux, split between two leagues whose players rapidly switched clubs and leagues.

Virginia Squires

Erving quickly established himself as a force and gained a reputation for hard and ruthless dunking.

When he became eligible for the NBA draft in 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall). However, Erving did play most of the 1972 NBA exhibition season with the Hawks (included two games against ABA teams).

New York Nets

The Squires, like most ABA teams, were on rather shaky financial ground. The Nets had been an also-ran for their first six years of existence, but Erving led them to their first ABA title in 1973-74, defeating the Utah Stars.

In his five ABA seasons, Erving won two championships, three MVP trophies, and three scoring titles.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Nets, Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs joined the NBA for the 1976-77 season.

However, the New York Knicks threw a monkey wrench into the Nets' plans when they demanded that the Nets pay them $4.8 million for "invading" the Knicks' NBA territory. Coming on the heels of the fees the Nets had to pay for joining the NBA, owner Roy Boe reneged on a promise to raise Erving's salary.

Erving quickly became the leader of his new club and took them into the NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers of Bill Walton.

However, Erving enjoyed success off the court, becoming one of the first basketball players to endorse products and to have a shoe marketed under his name.

In the following years, Erving coped with a team that was not yet playing at his level.

In 1980, the 76ers prevailed over the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

1981 and 1982 were also sour grapes for Erving, as the Sixers stranded twice, once against the Celtics and once again against the Lakers.

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.

Career summary

Erving retired at age 37.

In his ABA and NBA careers combined, he scored more than 30,000 points.

Post-basketball career

After his basketball career, Erving was equally successful.

He was ranked #10 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of All Time in 2003.

Erving is the father of professional tennis player Alexandra Stevenson.

NBA statistics

Games: 836 Points: 18364 PPG: 22.0 RPG: 6.7 APG: 3.9 FT%: .777

Memorable feats

Although dunking from the foul line had been done by other players (Jim Pollard and Wilt Chamberlain in the 1950's, 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 Dunking Contest.

The Baseline Move

One of his most memorable plays occurred during the 1980 NBA Finals, when he executed a seemingly impossible finger-roll behind the backboard .

Quotes

"As a basketball player, Julius was the first to actually take the torch and become the spokesman for the NBA.

Influences

Erving was idolized by American rapper Dr. Dre, who even rapped using the alias "Dr. J" for a short time.