A look back at the incredible career of Julius Erving. Follow Nonstop Sports • Instagram - / nonstop • Twitter - / nonstop • TikTok - / nonstop Imagery supplied by Getty Images
He truly is. Now this is my opinion, when talking about top 5 we go off performance stats and all that. In my opinion the top 5 should be based off who had the biggest impact on the league throughout the years. Thats just my opinion other than that my top 5 for who changed the game 1. Michael Jordan 2. Julius Erving 3. Magic Johnson 4. Larry Bird 5. Wilt Chamberlain * This isnt my top 5 all time this is my top 5 for who changed the league dramatically and made the NBA what it is
And the only player to make him lose that smooth coolness was Larry. Seeing him swing at Bird and fighting was such a shock because it was so unexpected, lol.
For me his smoothness was about his style. The Larry Bird incident was secound to none. Larry Bird stated that he never trash talked the DOCTOR. He had to get help when playing him and LB had the ultimate respect for the legend and Dr. J had the same respect for LB. That little fight was just kids playing. The teacher fighting with the pupile.
"He was The Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan", yep, that about sums it up. I am 54 years old and still remember that Poster of him as a Net flying through the Air.
Dr. J was like a myth when I was a kid. They didn’t show basketball games like they do, now. So, I only heard about him until the ABA-NBA merger. I finally got to see him and realized the myth was true. I’d never seen anything like him. Today’s players owe everything to Dr. J because he paved the way for basketball players to be household names. The players before him were known figures, but; none of them did it with the athleticism, style, grace and class that Julius Erving brought to the game.
My father was not a basketball fan. But the day the Nets acquired Erving from the Virginia Squires he got me up to go to school and told me about this great player the Nets supposedly got. I watched the Nets through two ABA championships and saw Dr. J play live at the venerable Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. John Sterling used to do radio and his signature call when the Nets scored was "Bullseye." Great times.
@@ZZSmithReal I never got to see Dr. J live. I watched him on television every chance I could. I wasn’t a Nets or Sixers fan, but; I was crazy about Dr. J.
I used to watch ABA games in early 70s on the old UHF connection. Dr. J was unbelievable. I saw him take off from distances, in a real game, I have never seen anybody else do. The best flyer in history of basketball. Really a ballet dancer in gym shoes!
As a kid that started watching basketball in the early 80's I thought the league consisted of only 3 teams, the Lakers, Celtics and Sixers. That's all they ever showed on their weekly broadcast was some combination of those 3 teams.
Damn so you old as hell huh Good job staying up with the times, and not letting the times define you. Utilizing these new technologies afforded to you like the internet and smart phones, which I’ve seen unfortunately not taken advantage of by people even younger than you. They don’t want to even attempt or do anything that requires a little brain power. They’re alive, but just sitting around waiting for their time to end. You’re staying fresh, and updated. I’m sure it would feel even better having been around so long without this stuff and now having it and seeing the change and progress first hand versus a lot of us who’s always had it and don’t know what the world looked like without it. I’m sure you appreciate it more than we can, which would make it even more enjoyable. Kudos
First of all, Dr. J was a totally different type of basketball player. He was the coolest player on the planet. When he would go on a breakaway for a dunk, the whole world held their breath, because they knew something special was coming.
I was addicted to watching basketball in the 80’s primarily because of Erving. He is known for his dunks but his finger rolls were some of the most beautiful shots ever. Erving was a player that Jordan had a ton of respect for when he came into the league. I stopped watching basketball for the most part in the 90’s so can’t compare him to today’s players. I can say he was one of the top 5 players in the 80’s and for me the most fun to watch. Kareem, Johnson, Bird, and Jordan were all spectacular but the Dr. was my favorite.
Yep me too. I stopped watching about 10 years ago... no defense, constant traveling, stars getting phantom fouls called on their defenders to protect the stars... and all the macho in your face puffery..... makes me sick. dunk the ball and get back on defense...don't stand there and act like your a superman that just saved the world! 😞
The things that Dr.J was doing back in the 70's,never even occurred to players to try and do. One saw flashes of that high flying style of basketball from Elgin Baylor and Connie Hawkins,but,Dr.J took it to whole new level. He was that one player everybody wanted to see play,because,they knew that they're going see something unheard of.
Thank you for mentioning The Big Hurt and The Hawk, two almost forgotten leapers from the pre-Erving NBA. It took a lawsuit against the league and Commissioner Kennedy to get Hawkins from the ABA and into the NBA. Connie had been falsely associated with a point-shaving scandal in college but the NBA had a strict attitude towards such transgressions. Check his wiki for more details. As for Baylor, he fought injuries throughout the second half of his remarkable career. The Lakers finally won a championship for L.A. in the 1971-72 season, one in which Baylor only played 9 games before his joints benched him forever. His contributions to that record-breaking season were so limited he refused to sit for the team picture. Since the team essentially won the crown without his help, pride prevented him from enjoying all he had contributed to the franchise for 14 seasons. That's my take on a player who transformed the game in a very underappreciated way. It's good to know you do.
Doc could jump further from the foul line w/ a running start, but he wasn't close to pure BBALL talent as Elgin.. if Elgin Baylor played in the 80's he'd be known as Michael Jordan's teacher... that's how great he was. As for THE HAWK, Connie Hawkins was a massive human being w/ a 747 WINGSPAN. Connie was more "SHOW" than skill, but he was a beast in the paint. I'd compare Connie to Mo Lucas... not great BBALL skill, but a man amongst boys underneath the rim. In any case, I cannot stress how GREAT Elgin Baylor was... he was part magician and part Jordan/Maravich/and Barkley rolled into one.
@@bishlap I'm denying any of that,all I'm saying is those guys I mentioned were the ones who had hops that actually turned it into some kind of a game and not like so many other who could jump and that was it and with that being said,obviously,of the players I mentioned,some had more game than others,but they all showed how you could really put athleticism to good use and yes,I saw Elgin Baylor play and I know what he could do
Artis Gilmore if you count NBA and ABA he has 11 all star appearances 5 all nba aba, MVP, and a Championship. He becomes 27th in points and 5th in rebounds
@@kyranlidua8678 I believe LaRon was asking how did Artis Gilmore win the ROY in 71... Dr. Jay average 27.3 vs. AG's 23.8.. But, what I didn't find was the total points for the year.
I went to a Sixers game in San Diego... Dr J came down the court with an exaggerated dribble kinda going round and round as he picked up speed... at the top of the key he starts a giant leap spinning his body along with the rotation of the dribble... he then spun the ball off the backboard into net while he was complete horizontal facing the ceiling... the arena went silent for a split second and then lost it's collective mind... even the players sort of stopped with their hands on their hips and mouths open...
Fall 1975...I went to a Nets/Kentucky Colonels game in Lexington with my Dad. Good players on both teams: Artis Gilmore, Dan Issel, and, of course, the Doctor. The pimps and the hoes were out in the crowd that night...the full length fur coats and matching hats, the gold-topped canes, the miniskirts and high heels, bling all around. Early in the second half, Doctor makes a steal and comes down court on a fast break. There's only one defender between him and the basket and the crowd noise raises in anticipation of something about to go down. The defender managed to get the Doctor to not take flight, but Doc twisted, faked, spun the guy around, and make a short easy shot off the glass for two. When the ball dropped through the net, the crowd was quiet for an instant, then collectively erupted into one big, "bwaaaa-HAHAHAHAHA!!!" The whole arena was laughing at the guy and then people were laughing at the laughing. Poor guy. An embarrassment for the ages.
I gotta be real with you, mane... we gotta get some footage. We gotta find some tape of that, you know, 'Speak into existence' cause that sounds Absolutely INCREDIBLE!
In the finals against the Lakers... Jabbar shoots from inside the foul line...Dr comes out of nowhere and blocks the shot! another time Dr roars in and stuffs one right over Jabbar into the basket! wow! the Dr on the fast break was the best ever. I was in high school when I heard about the Hawk.... I practiced his moves.... then along came the Doctor.... same thing! Connie Hawkins and Dr J were so smooth... just gliding toward the rim... and the Hawk with those huge sideburns.... those were the days my friend! 🙂
That was Stretch on the cover I think. EA game Stretch that outfit on NBA Live 19....however game Stretch Dr. J's Nets jersey 🤔🤔🤔. Dr. J still #1 to me all time.
The "rock the baby" tomahawk dunk at 08:52 over Michael Cooper is still my favorite dunk of all time. I remember watching that live on TV. All of us in the living room erupted from our chairs.
Dude, talk about Legend, I believe their (Lakers) NBA Dynasty would have extended longer in finals championships as new blood would soon come on the scene.
I love the Doctor, both the player and the man. I finally met him in the 1982 AD Hall of Fame game in Springfield, MA, and got my picture taken with him. It was a big honor.
35 ppg, 13 rpg, 5 apg in the playoffs is insane, during his prime years he was going to the finals almost every year and would have beat that Portland team easy if the Doctor was allowed to operate like he was on his Nets teams in the ABA.
IDK about that. Doc played about as well as one could play. He put up 40 a couple times in that series. Portland had much chemistry and played as a team. A better coach by far. Having a legendary center Bill Walton didn't hurt.
The first time I saw Julius play was on a televised ABA game (about 1973). He took the rebound off the opposing team's basket and then proceeded to dribble the length of the court and dunk the ball. I knew then that he was something special and I followed his career until he retired.
I lived in Oregon when the Sixers and Trail Blazers made it to the NBA Finals. There was no question who I would root for because I had lived in Kentucky for 3-1/2 years, 1970-73. Everyone lived and breathed basketball there. We had the Colonels and I “knew” the ABA guys. Julius wasn’t a Kentucky Colonel but he was still a fan favorite. Man, he was something!
Dr J was basketball in the 70 s , he saved pro basketball all by himself. Not Alcindor aka Kareem not anybody else. Kids were talking Dr J , first shoe deal. He did things nobody ever seen before.
Hands-down, THE greatest player in B-Ball history, at any level, any time. The man was beautiful to watch--------Baryshnikov & Hines, on the court. No one could match him in his prime. -I saw him from his 1st days in the ABA, & he was simply magnificent. -------------------MJL, 75 y/o
My dad had season tickets in Portland during the mid 70s so I got to see Dr J play in person many times. Once a year because they were in different conferences but I got to see all four games in 1977 when Portland won the championship. Dr J was so fun to watch!! It was good to beat the sixers but I loved watching Dr J do his gymnastic basketball moves
All the moves done after Magic Johnson to Now , it was done by Dr J , Dr J had the class and remember he was the first one to do all the moves and he made basketball to be what it is right now and he enjoy the game. All the players copied his moves
Dr. J was my hero growing up! He is my ATF BB player. When I was 13 yrs, I remember getting a pair of all-white leather Dr. J's in '77 for $30 which seemed like a fortune then. Back then, canvas Converse (Chuck Taylors) only cost $9. I was floating on air and thought I was the baddest dude to walk the earth! I wore those things out and everywhere to the point that I had to use "Shoe goo" to patch the holes in the bottoms. I would clean them every day! I even called myself "Dr. B"... the memories!
I've only seen one pro basketball game in my life. I live in SD and the old San Diego Clippers were hosting the Sixers and Dr. J. I'm not a huge basketball fan, but I had to see Dr. J. I was not disappointed. The only other athlete I've ever seen who could move like Dr. J, was Pele. Both were so graceful, that you were left completely breathless. Unbelievable talent. Unbelievable skill...unbelievable.
Dr. J and Moses Malone are the two of the most underappreciated player. They said that magic and Larry are the savior of the NBA, but dr. J save it first. I am amazed why are this two legend are not in the goat conversation. I'm not even a philli fan. I'm a spurs fan.
Thanks for giving props to the greatness of Moses. I lived in Houston during Malone's rise to becoming the most dominant big in the NBA. No one cared about distinction between offensive and defensive rebounding until he made the offensive glass his area of expertise. His all-time record of 7,382 is over 2,500 more than #2 Artis Gilmore. Given the expansion of the playing area and the emphasis on threes, low post centers are a lost breed, making the record Malone set basically unbreakable.
@@jefferyroy2566 Just came across this , kinda crazy bc it said you did it 2 hours ago. But you just filled my mind with facts I never would’ve known. Always knew he was good, but not THAT good
Thank you sir Doc in my opinion is over magic and bird since he brought the ABA and NBA together in a merger. He basically with his play forced the NBA to merge with the NBA.
@@Az-dc4nu Here's my case for Dr. J being the greatest ever (I did my own research on this and you'll like it: - Never got swept in the playoffs - Never missed the playoffs - Never missed an All Star game - Leads all time in blocks at the SF position - Only player to win a championship in the ABA and NBA - Did the most with less possibly ever winning 3 titles and 2 in the ABA without a "top 75 all time" player - Had 1 of the best debuts ever having 21 points and 21 rebounds in his first game - Greatest influencer (imo) - Handles himself with class unlike many other players - Didn't need the media to push him because he had NY on his back before going pro. - In 1983 won All Star MVP toward the end of his career and winning the championship in the same season sweeping the Magic and Kareem (arguably 2 top 5 all time players) in the finals and went on a 12-1 playoff run with Moses, Toney, and Mo Cheeks. And I didn't even bring up all the accolades.
Dr J. is still 'thee' man and will continue to be. There have been many players since his time who have equal or far better stats in comparison to his but none have his charm and his grace. Dr J won at the game of basketball and at the game of life... A true player 100% top to bottom! You know you are a great player when you get a call from a rookie Magic Johnson asking for your advice on whether to sign with the Lakers or not... and the rest is history.
yep.... he seems a real humble dude.... I liked him on and off the court. DId you know he lost a teenage son to a driving accident? terrible time....Son disappeared...no sign for months.... found the car and boy in the lake near the house.... he had driven into the lake at night ....missed a turn.... a tragedy.... hurt me just reading about it. 😕
you are wrong..only points per game and in this video it is obvious why..the sixers asked him to score less and gave equal offense to McGinnis,Collins and Free..he was chill and accepted the scoring downgrade..what is significant is that he averaged only 17 fga per game but his fg was same as in the ABA..so if he got 22/23 like in the ABA and Kobe MJ had then he would have this statline 28 ppg ,8.5 boards(3offensive), 4 ass, 2steals ,2blocks instead of 24.2 ppg..thats much better than Lebron,Kobe,Durant and others people foolishly and due to recency bias consider better..only him and MJ brought as much attention to the game period and he did it grassroots naturally and in style, without the shenanigans...MJ early on ,Grant Hill, Dominique, Magic, Shaq all by self confession stated on a mic idolised him and wanted to follow his footsteps..Magic in particular said that he realised that he couldnt do Dr J stuff so he went on and found his own Magic.Younger people just dont have the scope and the echochamber keeps propagating the same arguments about rings etc so people are so dilusioned to considered Pippen or Duncan a better player!
I played him at 58 when I was 18 or so at Carousel House in Philadelphia, PA. He stomped my ass 23-3. He was an absolute gentleman and even signed my Converse Evo's!
Yea maybe then before ppl were used to seeing crazy dunks like tht now it's pretty common to have multiple people on a team tht can jump out tha gym and be able to do any dunk they want
Dr. J is the reason I even got interested in basketball. When I was a kid we got WOR out of NYC and they televised all the Nets away games in the early 70s. My brother and I tried to catch every one. I wanted to dunk so bad, and spent hours in gyms and playgrounds trying . . . and was oh so close in HS. Then finally did it my freshman year of college. Thanks, Doc.
To me Dr. J was as good as anyone who ever played. From his days growing up on Long Island, The Rucker Tourney, UMass, Virginia Squires, Nets and Sixers. There would be no Michael Jordan without Doc.
He was as great as anyone. He was also unselfish and mature. DrJ carried the ABA on his shoulders and the NBA in the late 70s from a popularity standpoint. He handled it with grace.
Yes mike is the best. BUT without Doctor there would be no mike. Dr. J is the father and grandfather of all of these players. He passed the torch to mike. The doctor in my opinion is the most important player in the nba. Mike Jordan is the most import player TO the nba
@@teofemo7000 imagine a guy carrying 2 leagues, only player to win a championship in both leagues and also be the only player from both leagues to never miss the all star game
There were other superstars in the league while I was captivated watching NBA games on CBS during the early 1980's; the one player that often stood out to me with other superstars at that time was most certainly Julius "Dr. J" Erving. I loved watching Philadelphia 76ers vs LA Lakers, Boston Celtics & Milwaukee Bucks games at the time televised on CBS. Dr. J, Kareem, Magic, Larry, & "The Ice Man" Gervin and a few others were such heroes to us in our neighborhood. We would always talk about the legends of the game at that time without any malice. We never compared which players we considered better than the other. We just enjoyed trying to hone our basketball skills to the legends of the game at that time. Dr. J's smooth moves to the basket, Magic Johnson's fast break dribbling and no-look passes, Kareem's Sky Hook, and Larry's deadly perimeter shooting. As much as I still enjoyed basketball throughout the 1990's, I cherished 1980's basketball more. It's hard to explain. At least where I grew up at, basketball fans collectively liked all the superstars and never got into arguments of which player was the best. Things started to change in the 1990's when everyone started arguing which basketball players were considered better than the other. Perhaps other parts of the country had those arguments, but mostly in the NYC area at that time, we appreciated all of the great ones. I have positive memories about basketball in the 1980's.
That floating other-sude layup against the Lakers in 1980 is a childhood memory I'll never forget. (The breakaway slam dunk where Michael Cooper had to duck is another highlight). When I first saw Michael Jordan, I thought "eh, that's Dr. J". I liked very few non Lakers; he was def one.
I got into Basketball because of Dr. J. I loved this guy, The Ice Man and Kareem. I patterned my game after them and was a baller back in the day. I remember my sister taking me to see 'The Fish that Stole Pittsburgh' in 1979 at 17 to a( midnight show in Chicago). We got back after 2 am, and I was on the court until 4 am working on Dr J's moves! LOL.
Dr. J is pure class. I was fortunate enough to watch him play when he was in college. UMass came up to Maine and I watched him go 14 for 14 from the field and score 28. There was a rule against dunking back then, so he just finger rolled his way to an amazing game. He became my favorite player (Bill Russell had retired) for the next decade or so, until the Celtics drafted Larry Legend. But I still watched The Doctor with amazement.
The guy was the first one to do really artistic and graceful stuff in the air, pushing the limits of what people thought possible. MJ took the foundation Dr. J created and turned it into an art form.
Dr. J has cited Elgin Baylor as the inspiration for his "above the rim" style - but the Doctor raised the level a notch, then MJ raised it another notch.
@@garycollier6950 you can argue both of them were better dunkers, but he absolutely was in the same class. Jordan literally won a dunk contest over Wilkins lmao.
Always loved his amazing grace and athleticism. I remember the first time I saw him soar to the basket from the free throw line and dunk. I was amazed.
Our high school varsity coach was a big fan of his, which made us players more cognizant of who Dr. J was. Playing basketball is one thing, but to carry yourself the way he did puts him in a class untouchable by others. His upbringing, taking care of his little brother and later his mom, making his team go and congradulate the team that just beat them in the finals is whaf sticks out most, transcending him into a legand. That and the dunk he did over M.Cooper. Best dunk ever; simple, strong, and captivating. We love you Dr. J.
OK I'm a huge MJ stan and that switch hand lay up seemed inhuman. The Docs around the backboard lay up? Insane. Never mind the difficulty. The fact that such a slick move would dare be used in a game is wild. And the fact that he did that with two defenders on him. The stuff of legends.
