Other "Legends"

Howard Kelsey

Pete Maravich

Each month, ebehoops.com will feature one of our favorite old school basketball legends. It could be a former NBA / ABA player, Canadian National Team or International star, a BC High School legend or that guy (or gal) down at the local community center / playground who maybe never made it big but had an o’ so sweet game.

The first time I saw this month's "Old School Legend" was one of the few ABA games that actually was broadcast on TV, in Canada no less.  I remember him jumping center against 7' 2" Artis Gilmore of the Kentucky Colonels and easily winning the tip.  That was followed by some of the most amazing blocked shots, drives and huge dunks that a nine year old Doug Eberhardt had ever seen.  Later, he single-handedly assured the merger of the ABA with the old and established NBA... making the NBA actually cool.  He followed legends of the air such as Connie Hawkins and Gus Johnson.  He gave birth to a new generation of players such as Dominique, Michael and Vince, above the rim with style and creativity.  Folks, give it up for the Doctor, Julius Erving, the original above the rim "Old School Legend."

Julius Erving

Julius Erving, "Dr. J," was the dominant player of his era, an innovator who changed the way the game was played. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before seen: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks. Erving was one of the first players to make  individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that would prevail in the decades to follow.

A gracious, dignified, and disciplined man, Erving was an ideal ambassador for the game. He was the epitome of class, and no player was more respected. "As a basketball player, Julius was the first to truly take the torch and become the spokesman for the NBA," said friend and former coach Billy Cunningham. "He understood what his role was and how important it was for him to conduct himself as a representative of the league. Julius was the first player I ever remember who transcended sports and was known by one name, Doctor."

Erving began his professional career in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets. Widely regarded as the greatest player of his time, he is often considered to have been the main catalyst for the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. A 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward, he also played for 11 years with the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to the NBA crown in 1983.

In his five ABA seasons Erving won three scoring titles, three Most Valuable Player Awards, and two league championships. During his 11-year NBA career Erving was an All-Star each season, the league's Most Valuable Player in 1981, and a five-time member of the All-NBA First Team. He scored 30,026 points in his combined ABA and NBA career; only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain have scored more points in the history of professional basketball.

The ABA era was over. The NBA had to have Julius Erving, and to get him, they had to take the rest of the league, too. So the Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers were absorbed into the NBA for the next season, with the rest of the ABA players dispersed in a draft.

As Erving's career wound down, so did the Sixers, after nearly a decade among the league's elite. Philadelphia was in transition, with younger players such as Charles Barkley arriving on the scene. After Erving announced that he would retire following the 1986-87 season, the campaign turned into the Julius Erving farewell tour. He was honored in every NBA arena, as fans across the country showed their love and admiration for one of the greatest players the game had ever seen.

Erving retired at age 37, having scored more than 30,000 points in his combined ABA and NBA career. Erving scored 22.0 points per game in his 11 NBA seasons with Philadelphia and 28.7 points per game in his 5 ABA seasons with Virginia and New York. In 1993 Erving was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

To this day, I still have an old photo album of pictures of Dr. J that I clipped out of Sports Illustrated and other magazines. Looking through it brought back amazing memories of the first superstar that  I ever got to see play in person. I have an autographed photo that my brother gave me for Christmas hanging in my living room of Dr. J 'cause the Doc was and is "the Man."

Wanna' check out or previous "Old School Legends", click here.