Julius Erving

Julius Erving, affectionately known as "Dr. J," is a former professional basketball player for the Virginia Squires and New Jersey Nets of the ABA and the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. Julius Erving was born in Roosevelt, New York, on February 22, 1950. He attended Roosevelt High School and the University of Massachusetts. In 1972, Erving was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the twelfth pick in the NBA Draft.http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ervinju01.htmlHe is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Julius Erving signed with the Virginia Squires of the ABA as an undergraduate free agent in 1971. He scored 27.3 points per game his rookie season and finished second to Artis Gilmore for ABA Rookie of the Year. After his college class graduated the next year, Erving was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. He decided to try and jump to the Atlanta Hawks before the season began but a court order forced him back to the Squires four games into the season. Erving lead the ABA in scoring for the 1972 - 1973 season at 31.9 points per game and was named to the All-ABA First Team.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

Erving was traded to the New Jersey Nets prior to the 1973 - 1974 season for George Carter, Kermit Washington and cash. He gained media attention in New York and lead the team to a 55-29 record and the ABA Championship. For the season, Erving averaged 27.4 points per game to lead the league. He was also sixth in assists, third in steals and blocked shots. Erving won the first of three consecutive ABA MVP Awards that season.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

The ABA started to struggle as a league as many teams started to fold. The final season of the league was 1975 - 1976. The first slam dunk competition was held that season and Erving defeated David Thompson, Artis Gilmore, Larry Kenon and George Gervin. In the playoffs, Erving averaged 34.7 points per game to lead the Nets over the Denver Nuggets to win their second ABA Championship. The Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Nuggets and Indiana Pacers were absorbed into the NBA for the following season. The Nets sold Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million just 24 hours before the start of the 1976 - 1977 season.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

Erving started his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976. He joined a team filled with notable players such as George McGinnis, Lloyd Free and Doug Collins. Erving dominated in his first NBA All-Star game that season. He scored 30 points, had 12 rebounds and won the MVP. Erving averaged 21.6 points per game for the season and lead the 76ers to a 50-32 record. They advanced to the NBA Finals but lost to Bill Walton and the Portland Trailblazers in six games.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

Julius Erving was named to the All-NBA team in both 1978 and 1979. The team struggled finishing second behind the Washington Bullets both seasons. The team added veteran Bobby Jones and drafted guard Maurice Cheeks to improve the team. In 1979 - 1980, Erving averaged 26.9 points per game and lead the 76ers to a 59 win season and to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers won the series in six games to deny Erving an NBA Championship for the second time in four seasons.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

In 1980 - 1981, Julius Erving averaged 24.6 points per game, 4.4 assists and had 173 steals. The 76ers won 62 games but lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The following season saw a rematch between the Celtics and 76ers and this time the 76ers won to meet the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Lakers won again. Erving averaged 24.4 points per game for the season and was named to the All-NBA First Team.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

The 76ers traded for Moses Malone prior to the 1982 - 1983 season. Malone and Erving lead the 76ers to 65 wins in the regular season. During the playoffs the team dominated by winning 12 of their 13 games and the NBA Championship. The following season Erving scored 34 points in the NBA All-Star game. Julius Erving went to play a few more seasons, with a farewell tour in each city during his final season of 1986 - 1987. He finished his career with over 30,000 points in the ABA and NBA, an ABA scoring average of 28.7 points per game and an NBA scoring average of 22.0 points per game. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html

Julius Erving has taken part in many business ventures since his retirement from professional basketball. He is the owner of a Coca-Cola plant in Philadelphia and cable television stations in New Jersey and New York. Erving worked as an NBA analyst for NBC from 1993 to 1997 before he joined the front office of the Orlando Magic in 1997.http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html During the late 1990's, Erving and former NFL player Joe Washington had a NASCAR Busch Grand National Series team. Erving enjoys playing golf and was on an episode of The Haney Project featuring Charles Barkley.http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-videos/haney-project-meltdown-atlanta-11484/

• ABA Champion: 2 (1974, 1976)
• ABA MVP: 2 (1974,1976)
• ABA First Team All Star: 4 (1973-1976)
• ABA Second Team All Star: 1 (1972)
• All NBA First Team: 5 (1978, 1980 - 1983)
• All NBA Second Team: 2 (1977, 1984)
• NBA MVP: 1 (1981)
• All Star Selection: 11 (1977-1987)
• All Star MVP: 2 (1977, 1983)
• NBA Champion: 1 (1983)
• Basketball Hall of Fame Induction: 1993
• Named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history: 1996http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_summary.html

"If I was playing and making $20 million a year? Hey, I didn't make that in my whole career," he said. "I could say economically, that would be good to have. But I've always been a look at the present, deal with the future kind of guy. The past is not something I've thought too much about. I did well. I established a legacy that would be a challenge for most players to equal or exceed. I'm satisfied with that." - Julius Ervinghttp://www.torontosun.com/sports/basketball/2010/06/11/14354201.html