On this day, October 22nd, 1976: Julius Erving makes his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers - Looking at Doctor J's basketball legacy
Julius Erving made his NBA debut today in 1976. The Hall of Fame forward, known by his nickname Dr. J, made the slam dunk an event of athletic artistry. Artistry where one could almost hear the jazz playing in Doc's mind as he glides to the basket from the foul line.
It was the nation's bicentennial, and Julius Erving landing his legendary talent onto the NBA scene was just what the NBA needed to bolster a sleeping Philadelphia market.
In 1976, four teams from the ABA became NBA franchises as the ABA folded: the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets, and the San Antonio Spurs. Julius Erving's rights were owned by the Nets, he was sold to the Philadelphia 76ers, and as they say, the rest is history.
Julius Erving and the bicentennial
Events of 1976
- Apple Computer Company is formed.
- United States Bicentennial.
- Nadia Comaneci has first perfect score in gymnastics.
- Riots in Soweto signify the beginning of the end of South African apartheid.
- The Concorde cuts translantic flight to 3 and a half hours.
- Viking 2 lands on Mars.
- Jimmy Carter elected President.
- First laser printer introduced by IBM - the IBM 3800
The Bicentennial here in Philly was a festive time where it was essentially July 4th all year round and especially on July 4th itself. Fireworks and sparklers lined the streets and illuminated the smiles of celebrating faces young and old.
The 200th birthday of America was best known in my life as the introduction of Julius Erving into my developing athletic scope, and while I hadn't seen him play, it was the legend of his game that moved Philadelphia 76ers fans into a soulful journey to win Julius Erving an NBA championship with the 76ers.
On this date in 1976, Julius Erving is sold by the New York Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers.
https://t.co/9aUjguoWWt
The cool fashion icon
The practice of NBA superstars getting dressed in the training room instead of dressing in the locker room originated with Julius Erving. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant followed suit, and when players didn't emulate Doc getting dressed in the training room, what they did emulate was his class in fashionable suits.
Julius Erving's fashion sense became the standard the NBA sought for its players. It wasn't until Allen Iverson came into the NBA that the league tried to hold its players to that standard, and as controversial as that decision was, the NBA has since loosened its dress code rules.
Saving the ABA and NBA
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are credited with saving the NBA through their fierce competitiveness either vs. one another or in general. A few years before they entered the NBA, that credit went to Julius Erving.
I've had the honor of interviewing Julius Erving along with the iconic Chuck D as well, and throughout the conversation, what I gained is that Julius Erving was the star of stars in the ABA, and as it folded, Julius Erving became the main NBA draw.
The NBA thought he had too much showmanship for mainstream consumption and asked Julius Erving to cut his signature afro and tone down the individual one-on-one abilities that made Julius Erving a basketball name NBA fans wanted to know.
The Philadelphia 76ers rocketed to the NBA Finals in his first season, yet lost to Bill Walton and the Portland Trailblazers in 6 games. Julius Erving averaged 22 points, 9 boards, 4 dimes, 2 steals and a block for the Philadelphia 76ers that regular season and 30 points 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the NBA Finals.
In the ABA, Julius Erving won 2 championships and 3 MVPs for the New York Nets. In the NBA, Julius Erving was the 1981 MVP and won the title in 1983.
📅 On this day in 1971, Hall of Famer Julius Erving had 21 points and 19 rebounds in his ABA debut with the Virginia Squires.
Erving went on to average 27.3 PPG and 15.7 RPG that season. He is one of only five rookies in ABA-NBA history to average at least 25 PPG and 15 RPG. https://t.co/ksgQzMMwi4
The moves and the legacy
The late great Dave Zinkoff was the original hip-hop-hype man. His classic Julius Erving intro before games at the Spectrum gave the fans a charge that grew louder when Dr. J dunked. "From the University of Massachusetts, number 6! Julius Errrrrrrrrrrrrving!"
Julius Erving averaged 26 points and 20 rebounds in two seasons at the University of Massachusetts. He is one of only 6 players in NCAA history to accomplish the 20/20 feat. It was those numbers that made Dr. J a legend before he was seen by the nation. Having only played 2 games on national television in the two years at Umass, the ABA became his canvas, and the NBA his art on exhibit.
Two of Julius Erving's moves, in particular, will air to NBA fans forevermore. Both happened in 1980, and both happened vs. the Los Angeles Lakers -- a team that would defeat the Philadelphia 76ers that year in a classic NBA Finals that made Magic Johnson an NBA superstar in his rookie season.
The finger roll was also a signature move that everyone wanted to repeat after saying they were Doc on the asphalt growing up. On courts from Sharon Hill, PA to where Wilt Chamberlain starred at Overbrook High, I tried a finger roll that never resembled Julius Erving's in any favorable way.
Julius Erving seemingly was the only superstar on the planet, and I've dubbed him the 3rd evolution. The evolutions are the slashers and showmen taking the NBA into a higher athletic dimension. There are 5 evolutions: Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
When I asked Julius about the lineage between he and Kobe, his response was even better:
“Yeah, Connie and Elgin Baylor. I felt as though I followed Connie and Elgin. Then you had Michael, a little bit of Dominique in there and some Vince Carter. I see where you are going with that. Those are the names.”
It was very frustrating that Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers couldn't win an NBA championship until owner Harold Katz and GM Pat Williams pulled the trigger and acquired the late great Hall of Fame center, Moses Malone. Before Moses, Julius Erving simply didn't have the help he needed to get the 76ers over the top.
Despite putting all they had into that 1983 season, that Philadelphia 76ers team is one of the best if not arguably best of all time. At the All-Star break that season, the Philadelphia 76ers started an unprecedented 4 in the NBA All-Star Game: Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Moses Malone and Julius Erving.
They lost one game in the playoffs -- a 6 point defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks -- and should be considered one of the best teams of all time in the NBA in a consensus fashion.
The NCAA has named the small forward award after Julius Erving -- which is a nice tribute that will keep Dr. J's name on future generational lips. Julius Erving was the first known superstar to have his own shoe and also one of the first to garner endorsement deals that many athletes capitalize on today.
How many names does one get to before mentioning Julius Erving on the NBA's all-time list? He is a member of the 50th greatest team in NBA history and was also named to the 75th team.
Who has a better combined ABA and NBA career? Doc and I have discussed the points he scored in the ABA should combine with his NBA total. A total of 30,026 that would be the 8th all-time in the NBA. In his five ABA seasons, he averaged 28.7 points, 12.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
He was given the Dr. J nickname by high school teammate Leon Saunders -- who Doc called "The Professor." His afro became Allen Iverson's cornroll, and the cultural impact of Julius Erving was seen in the NBA as well as on every asphalt court across the land.
His afro is still visible, and trust me, it is still rocked because the man they call Dr. J just was so cool.
The dunk
Julius Erving was a whirling dervish of quick twitch athleticism and basketball jazz.
As athletic as Dr. J was, he was able to do things with the basketball few at the time could, and whether that was taking off from the foul line in the 1976 ABA slam dunk contest, or palming the ball with his oversized hands like Connie Hawkins, basketball fans were in for a show every night with Doc on the floor.
Doc will always be considered one of the best dunkers, whether in dunk competitions or in games on the opposition in NBA history.
His appearance at the famed Rucker Park in New York is legendary, and though Michael Jordan took what Julius Erving did to another level as the internet age hit, what will be known is how the kid from Roosevelt High -- who was Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan -- changed the game.