Julius Erving, also known as “Dr. J,” won three championships (two ABA titles with the New York Nets and one NBA title with the Philadelphia 76ers), four Most Valuable Player awards (the only player to be voted MVP in both the NBA and ABA) and three ABA scoring titles.
In his 16-year professional basketball career, Erving never missed the playoffs. Dr. J is also the eighth-highest scorer in ABA/NBA history with 30,026 total points (NBA and ABA). Erving ranks behind only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain. When he retired in 1987, Erving ranked in the top five in scoring (third), field goals made (third), field goals attempted (fifth), and steals (first).
Erving is also a member of the NBA 35th, 50th, and 75th Anniversary Teams. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time in 1994. The legend helped bring dunking to the mainstream with his iconic leaping ability and above-the-rim prowess.
Erving is also one of the few players in basketball history to have his number retired by two franchises. The Brooklyn Nets (formerly the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets) retired his No. 32 jersey, while the Philadelphia 76ers retired his No. 6 jersey.
ClutchPoints had the honor of speaking with Julius Erving about a number of topics, including the hotly contested GOAT debate that's often between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Dr. J, however, has a different name on top: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem the GOAT
Kareem played 20 seasons in the NBA betwen the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection.
He was a member of six NBA championship teams as a player and two more as an assistant coach, and was twice voted the NBA Finals MVP. He was named to three NBA Anniversary Teams (35th, 50th, and 75th).
Abdul-Jabbar broke the NBA's career scoring record in 1984 with 38,387 points and held it until LeBron James surpassed him in 2023.
“At every level, high school, college, and at the pros he excelled in a way no other player did, validation of MVPs, championships, scoring titles, records, the stats, if you become Kareem's teammates, you have a pretty good chance to go to the Hall of Fame.”
He explained further: “If we look at the other players who made the Hall of Fame who were his teammates, nobody has a higher number.
Julius Erving joins a list of players including Pat Riley, Isaiah Thomas, and Walt Frazier who also recognize Kareem as the GOAT.
FreedomPop
Dr. J has partnered with FreedomPop, a company that describes itself as the “#1 cell service for seniors.”
Plans start at $10 a month and customers are able to speak to a customer service representative if needed in under two minutes.
“I’ve tried to associate my name with things that I could credibly say I use the product or my family used it or something I really liked and would be good for society and do good for the people,” Erving described to ClutchPoints via Zoom. “FreedomPop cell service for seniors is definitely one of those things.”
Many FreedomPop customers are able to save money by switching to the service (an average of 50% according to the company’s website) and allows them to keep their current phone number.
“Partnering with Dr. J is a tremendous honor,” Joshua Gordon, the CEO of FreedomPop's parent company RedPocket Mobile, said. “We’re delighted to have him as the face of the company!”
More info on the company and how to get started today can be seen on their website: www.FreedomPop.com
1976 ABA Dunk Contest
One of the moments that really brought Dr J. and his dunking ability to the mainstream was at the 1976 ABA Dunk Contest. Julius Erving competed against dunking royalty: George “The Iceman” Gervin, All-Star and former teammate Larry “Special K” Kenon, MVP Artis “The A-Train” Gilmore and David “The Skywalker” Thompson.
Erving dunked two balls in the hoop on his first dunk attempt. Then came one of the most iconic dunks in basketball history: running from the opposite end of the court and dunking from the free throw line.
Although Dr. J wasn’t the first to ever dunk from the free throw line (Wilt Chamberlain had done it in the 1950s along with others), Erving sent shockwaves across the nation when he did it on this stage at the Slam Dunk Contest.
What was he thinking as he stood at the other end of the court about to attempt it?
“I've done this many times before, usually after giving a camp or clinic talking to kids outside on cement,” Erving laughed recalling the moment. “So to be in a gym, with the crowd they had in Denver, to be on a wooden floor, I knew it was gonna be alright.”
Dr. J’s goal at the Dunk Contest: “Put on a show.”
Safe to say they certainly did.
He also wanted to make sure that the NBA knew what they had cooking in the ABA — of course as history would show, the two leagues would merge later that year after the end of the 1975-76 ABA season.
“George Gervin, Larry Kenon, and myself and the other ABA guys, we always talked about giving the fans a good show because the ABA was a better show than the NBA!”
Inspiring Michael Jordan's free throw line dunk
Julius Erving had the original free throw line dunk at the ABA Slam Dunk contest in 1976.
Inspired by Dr. J, Michael Jordan had his own iconic free throw line dunk at the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, a perfect 50 to help him seal back-to-back dunk victories in ‘87 and ‘88.
“I was there at that competition with him and Dominique, he looked over at me and I started pointing go back … he hopped up, did a little Jordan-esque thing to it, and jammed it in.”
Dr. J was certainly impressed and gave a young MJ his flowers.
“His [Jordan's] was a greater degree of difficulty but because mine was so much earlier, only one could be the first.”
Mount Rushmore of dunkers
Dr. J knows a thing or two about dunking. You can't tell the story of the history of the slam dunk without Erving. So who makes his all-time Mount Rushmore of dunkers?
- Clyde Drexler
- Dominique Wilkins
- Michael Jordan
- Vince Carter
Why did they make the cut?
“They dunked frequently in games, often, spectacularly, dunked in a way that inspired their team, gave them a big pickup, played to the crowd … they weren't showing off, it was in the context of how they play the game.”
Erving’s Mount Rushmore certainly has no shortage of Dunk Contest experience.
Michael Jordan entered the Dunk Contest three times (1985, 1987, and 1988 – winning in ‘87 and ‘88), while Carter put on a show in his only appearance, winning the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest.
Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler both entered five times each. Wilkins took home the hardware in 1985 and 1990, while Drexler lost to Kenny “Sky” Walker in 1989.
Winning 1983 NBA title
In 1982-83, Erving was finally able to capture his ultimate goal in the NBA: a championship. The 76ers added the missing piece to their title aspirations, signing big man Moses Malone to form one of the most dangerous center-forward duos in NBA history.
Led by four Hall of Famers (Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones), the 76ers dominated the regular season, winning an impressive 65 games, the second-winningest season in franchise history.
The impressive regular season prompted Malone to make the famous playoff prediction of “fo-fo-fo” that the 76ers would sweep three rounds of the playoffs including the NBA Finals to win the title. In fact, the Sixers went four-five-four (12-1 in the postseason), losing just one game the entire run and sweeping the Lakers to win the NBA title.
“Moses was the key element,” Erving described. “It was very frustrating, a seven-year chase, I went to the Finals three times in six years and did not succeed, the clock was moving, the window was closing.”
“To get that ring in the 12th year after four attempts … I learned winning a ring isn't everything but coming in second sucks!”
After losing to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in both 1980 and 1982, the 76ers finally got their revenge.
“They had an aura about them, they could control a basketball game and be in control of the outcome,” Erving described. “Kareem was the ultimate … Magic was in a class by himself … they have four or more Hall of Famers who have been inducted (referring to Magic, Kareem, James Worthy and coach Pat Riley).”
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Watch the full Julius Erving interview with Rob Lepelstat on the ClutchPoints YouTube page. Past guests include Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ray Lewis, Lawrence Taylor, Ice Cube and Mark Messier.
Follow Rob on Twitter @RobLep1, Instagram @STATSports1co, and subscribe to STAT Sports with Rob Lepelstat on YouTube.
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