“The Denzel of the NBA”: Fans in awe as Julius Erving, 71, puts on a smooth display in a tailored suit during Pelicans-Lakers
Considering his impressive resume, Julius Erving is recognized as one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. "Dr. J" r ecently made an appearance in the In-Season Tournament semifinal game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers, while wearing a tailored suit.
WNBA legend Candace Parker and former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers were in awe of the NBA legend.
Parker and Rivers marveled over how Julius Erving looked smooth with his tailored suit while being 73 years of age. The video clip uploaded by the NBA via X shows the Sixers legend checking out some paperwork while sitting in preparation for the ball game.
Many NBA fans agreed with Doc Rivers when he pointed out that Erving, an 11-time NBA All-Star, still managed to look "smooth" after all these years. Here's a look at the fan reactions:
"The Denzel of the NBA."
From the fans' reactions, some called Julius Erving the "Denzel Washington of the NBA," as both of them are similar in the sense that they have remained in great shape despite being past their prime.
Some fans have also described Erving as someone who has remained classy with how he presents himself. While renowned for his time as a professional basketball player, Julius Erving shows that being 73 years old is the new cool in this day and age.
Julius Erving talked about his iconic dunk
When it comes to some of the most memorable moments in NBA history, Julius Erving spoke about his "rock-the-baby" dunk over Los Angeles Lakers legend Michael Cooper in 1983, as per Sports Illustrated's Wilton Jackson.
"I would say 90% of the time or more when guys go in to dunk the ball," Erving said, "they get in a system of the opposite hand. They stuff it into their hand, take off, get airborne, and let that momentum of the push help to protect them."
"They come forward to the target," Erving said, "and project back with two hands ... I wanted this dunk to live on forever and to prove that people could fly."
In Erving's comments, he mentioned how he wanted the dunk to "live on forever," as few could fly and dunk the way he did back in his time. The goal of the dunk was simple: to show people that anyone is capable of flying.
It was a surreal dunk at the time and has still left many speechless to this day due to the demanding nature of it.