by Daniel Cote

Created on: April 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 24, 2009

Julius Erving, or "Dr. J" as he is commonly referred to as, was born in Roosevelt, New York in 1950. He honed his playing skills at Roosevelt High School, and later at the University of Massachusetts where he averaged 32.5 points and 20.2 rebounds per game. When Erving finished his college career, professional basketball was split between two leagues, the NBA and the ABA. The NBA was the more recognized league and claimed to have the best players. Despite this, Julius joined the Virginia Squires of the ABA in 1971 as an undrafted free agent.

Erving had an immediate impact with the Squires and earned the reputation of being a fierce and ferocious dunker. As a rookie, he averaged 27.3 points per game and was selected to the ABA All-Rookie Team and ABA All-Second Team. The team itself had success as Erving led the Squires to the Eastern Division Finals before losing to the New York Nets who were led by Rick Barry. In 1972, Erving became eligible for the NBA draft and was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks 12th overall in the first round. This would have teamed him up with superstar players Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he signed with the Atlanta Hawks instead. Unfortunately for Atlanta, a court ruled that Julius Erving was still under contact to the Virginia Squires and he was forced to return to the team.

Erving improved on his superb rookie season with a sensational sophomore season, averaging 31.9 points per game. This made him even more desirable among other ABA teams, and with the Squires in financial disarray, they were forced to sell him to the New York Nets in 1973. As with the Squires, Erving had an immediate impact on the Nets leading them to their first ABA Championship in the 1973-1974 season. The bigger stage gave all basketball fans a chance to see Erving's spectacular dunks and added credibility to the league. In five ABA seasons, Erving won two championships, three MVP trophies, and three scoring titles.

1976 saw the long awaited merger between the ABA and NBA. Due to the fees the Nets had to pay for joining the NBA and a $4.8 million penalty for invading the New York Knicks' NBA territory, they were forced to sell Erving's contract to the Philadelphia 76ers. Like with everywhere else he went, Dr. J helped vault the 76ers franchise to the top of the NBA by leading them to the NBA Finals where they ultimately lost to the Portland Trailblazers.

For several seasons, Dr. J and the 76ers struggled to advance past the Eastern Conference Finals due to the lack of role players on the team and because of the resurgence of the Boston Celtics. During the 1982-1983 season, the 76ers finally obtained the help Erving required in the form of Moses Malone. The Erving-Malone duo helped lead the 76ers to the NBA Championship as they swept the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. During his time with the 76ers, Erving became one of the first players in the NBA to start endorsing products and appearing in commercials. He even played a role in the 1979 basketball comedy "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh."

Julius Erving retired from basketball in 1987 with 30,026 career points, 2,272 steals, and 10,525 rebounds. He was selected to 11 all-star teams, won the 1981 NBA MVP Award, and was a five-time All-NBA First Team Selection. Erving was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996.

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