Erving, Julius W. II
Basketball
b. Feb. 22, 1950, Roosevelt, NY
Although he was only 6-foot-6, Erving starred as a center at the University of Massachusetts, averaging 27 points and 19 rebounds a game in his junior year. He then left school to sign a four-year, $500,000 contract with the American Basketball Association's Virginia Squires.
Known as "Dr. J" or simply "the Doctor" because of the way he could operate on defenses, Erving was cat-quick and had incredible leaping ability. He could soar through the air from the foul line to the basket, finishing the play with a slam dunk, and he could out-jump taller opponents to grab rebounds.
He was an instant star as a professional, averaging 27.2 points and 15.7 rebounds as a rookie in 1971-72. After the season, he signed a contract with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, but a court ordered him to play for the Squires.
Erving led the league with 31.9 points in his second year, when he had 22 rebounds per game. The financially-troubled Squires then traded him to the New York Nets. In three years with the Nets, Erving led the league in scoring twice, in 1974 and 1976, was most valuable player both years, and shared the MVP award with George McGinnis in 1975. The Nets won the ABA championship in 1974 and 1976 and Erving was also the most valuable player in the playoffs both times.
The ABA was absorbed by the NBA in 1976, when Erving joined the Philadelphia 76ers. He remained with them until retiring after the 1986-87 season.
Erving was named the NBA's most valuable player in 1980-81. He was a first-team all-star five times and on the second team twice. In his final season, he became the third professional player, after Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to score more than 30,000 career points.