The Good Doctor - Julius Erving

[grownman455]

Next time ESPN says anything about Jordan people need to email them and tell them did they forget who Jordan used to wanna be like ??? Dr J???

[Canonall]

Damn look at those hands. Goddamnit

[selfexplanitory]

6:45 - That's my JAM, Grover Washington's tribute to the Doctor, "Let it Flow"....

[JellyBean2144]

Before there was Larry, Magic, and Michael Jordan....there was Dr. J, Kareem, and George Gervin. Plus all of the other greats of the 70s and 80s. But to me, Doc and Iceman were the flavor of the month. Man those were the days.

[blackstar514]

One of My Childhood HEROES indeed! DOC exemplified excellence, class, and improvisational style to the game of basketball! Thanks for this video Love the quotes by other greats who truly could tell you Exactly with the Doc meant to the Game of basketball! Thanks for this Video Love the fish that save Pittsburgh song! and Grover Washington song The DrJ

[MrCstack]

97000 viewer :D

[garyth65]

It used to be an exaggerated complimete to say someone is "Head and Shoulders above their competition." These pictures prove,that in Docs' case, it is actually true.Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BigSkinnyWallets]

what is the great basketball song from about 4:00 to about 6:40??

[kimmy1984]

@BigSkinnyWallets The Song is called (Do It Do It) No One Does It Better....Its by The Spinners and its from the movie The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh Starring the good Dr. J

[Mightyhumungus]

Y Why flask the pic of mikey the joke jordum

[curtisb3000]

Dr. J is the best, MJ is his son, period.

[TheBurgija]

What's the song that plays round 1:30-50...Thank s...Dr. J is the MAN!!!

[ByronLatt]

@TheBurgija

The Look of Love by Issac Hayes.

[gaemp]

boring...... Dr J=great moves and here you have just pics.... funny....

[wagutoxD]

I'm really sorry about the trolls, man...

What a collection of photos! Great tribute not just to Dr. J but to basketball! AMAZING video! Thank you very much and congrats!

[jaguarlocks]

im 3 mins in and still no live footage, just a loop of stills.....hummmm, much to be desired when u have to see it to believe it. nice audio trib though.

[ByronLatt]

@jaguarlocks

Thanks. There are plenty of videos with live footage. If you notice the description of my video, I say it is a photo tribute. Just do a search on Julius Erving to see live action.

[tiismuna]

hey.. MJ says he looked upon the Dr..

i believe MJ got some of his style from the Dr's game...

if they would have been in the same era, MJ's game would have not been complete by then..

[storiedvintage78]

Dr. J was just awesome. I even using to watch his cheesy movies for the dunks. He was the MAN....

[neoaeonian]

His one-handed moves were the coolest looking things I've ever seen in any sport. Other people have probably been as good, maybe even better, but no one has looked as stylish on the floor as he did.

It wasn't just amazing, it had this other-worldly look to it, like you were watching some special effect, choreographed for maximum artistry.

I love the game today, loved MJ, and many others, but I loved watching Dr J play more than anything I've ever seen.

Great photo album and memories.

[Hrobhenny]

ByronLatt thank u for schooling these youngster who talk a lot but don't know the true history of the game they only know what espn tells them maybe not the best but the most exciting player in the history of the game

[Snagglefratz]

Program51, you miss the point. It's not about footwork. It's about magnificence, style, flair, grace. The Doctor was an artist as well as an athlete. Jordan is technically the best but The Doctor is the greatest ever.

[parkhill225]

Well done. Julius "Dr. J" Erving..............my ALL-TIME favorite basketball player!!

[Minutemanfan]

From UMass...saw all of his college games. He played when dunks in games as well as warm-ups were banned.

[Dbusdriver71]

This may suprise some of you but to Lakers fans, Dr. Js best shot that people really liked was the shot over Bob Macado, his hang time where he floated thru the air and with his right hand, shot it over his right shoulder and banked it in. Your the Man, DR. J.

[jbeTV1]

Doc was and still is my favorite. I met him in Atlanta, and was pleased to find him to be incredibly nice. Still have the autograph.

[redterran]

1:02 ALIEN ON LEFT HAND SIDE!!

[joeblow394]

bobby jones of denver nuggets(top defenders in NBA history), trying to stop doc..lol

[MichaelMCurtis]

Ok Conrad :) , Welcome 2 Munich CG . You profile informs that you are a sports junkie and an amateur rock musician . So do you remember the Doc´s finger role play with Kareem and Mark hanging on him ?

[ngi65]

in his own word, PHIL JACKSON TOLD THE WHOLE WORLD THAT HIS BEST PLAYER IN CHICAGO WAS DENNIS RODMAN ,SO MJ IS NOT THAT GREAT, ONLY A BALLHOG, ASK PIPPEN AND STEVE KERR HEHEHEHEHEH

[blackadam06]

Shut yo dumb ass up..Phil said no such thing..

"MJ IS NOT THAT GREAT"

Oh really?

Bulls 1991-98 record w/o MJ: 89-58 (60%), 0 rings & couldn't get out of the 2nd rd, avg 49 wins per year pace.

Bulls 1991-98 record with MJ: 401-108 (79%), 6 rings, average 65 win per year pace

And how in the hell can he be a "ball hog" when he LED 'em in apg as a rookie & has a HIGHER career apg avg than pippen?

Like I said, shut yo dumb ass up..

[ngi65]

@blackadam06 dr. j team owned the buls , sixers won 15 games againts mj bulls from 84 to 67 season,see basketball reference. mj is not the greatest. Wilt, russel and big o. is the greatest. u cant change history .

[blackadam06]

Who's trying to "change history"? And further more, when did I say MJ's the G.O.A.T?

There's NO SUCH THING as 1 player being the "greatest ever", but there IS evidence that he's the "greatest" 2-guard ever..

[imsljr420]

i don't believe in "the greatest"..but when has anyone ever said wilt russel or the big o are the greatest?..they are some of the all-time greats, but the greatest?

[conni70]

ngi65, don't waste your time with blackadam... he worships Michael Jordan...he has a very low basketball IQ and will argue tooth and nail with you about anything that isn't consistent with his exaggerated opinions of the Michael Jordan...

[conni70]

all you Michael Jordan worshipers have convinced yourselves that #23 did it on his own...well i've got news for you, it wasn't until the emergence of Scottie Pippen as a super star that the Bulls started winning rings...you see, in basketball you need at least two superstars to win titles... remember, Kareem didn't win anything in L.A. until Magic showed up, and DJ played his whole career without winning until Moses Malone came to town...it's simple, no Pippen, no rings for MJ...

[blackadam06]

1st of all, I "AGREE" with EVERYTHING U said about MJ not winning titles by himself. Who in the history of the sport has EVER won one without help? No one last I checked & you've NEVER heard me imply otherwise, so WTF are U talkin' about?!!

Secondly, I defend the legends from dummies like yourself, who are ALWAYS trying to discredit them in some juvenile attempt to level the field in order to make a more favorable comparison for today's players, who's resume doesn't even BEGIN to warrant one..

[blackadam06]

And if U think my b-ball I.Q. is so low, then WHY can't the likes of U EVER invalidate 1 thing I've said with any kinda' factual information of your own?

That's what I thought..

All guys like yourself can EVER do is thumb down my comments because U CAN'T refute anything I've said & U KNOW it..

[Program51]

@ngi65 He told the world that his best ATHLETE was Dennis Rodman. There is a big difference between, best athlete and best player.

[ngi65]

Dr. j FOR ME IS THE GRETEST BASKETBALL PALYER OF ALL TIME, i know they are lots of tons of videos which are not yet shown in public, bout his games,

[ngi65]

Dr, J won 1 nba ring, 83 finals, but he is a regular playoff contender, 1977 finals, 1978 ECF, 1979 ECF, 1980 FINALS, 1981 ECF(this one , the ref and NBA favored the white Larry Bird team, sixers ahead 2-0, THEN THEY LOST 3 games with 5 points diffrences in all 3 games) THE GAME HERE was rigged, 1982 FINALS, 1983 FINALS, 1985 ECF

[elohim77]

MJ schooled dr j since day 1, like it or not!!!

[ByronLatt]

You missed the whole point of the video. It's a tribute to MY Favorite player. I never said he was the greatest. Doc said himself that MJ's game was more complete than his. However, your comment is backwards. Doc "schooled" MJ, Dominique, Clyde, Worthy and several others because they grew up idolizing him. Just as Doc followed Elgin and Connie. You have to know and then respect the history of the game.

[ngi65]

The Dr. owned MJ, even basketball historians will tell you if the both arrived in the same era, Dr. J will blew MJ...Mj got hs first championship after 7 yrs in NBA, while Dr, got his ring in ABA IN HIS ROOKIE YR, ABA is much better during that time, than NBA

[ByronLatt]

Not exactly correct but you are no doubt a fan like I am. I don't know about "owned" but they did have some good matchups even though they were at different points in their careers. It took Doc 7 yrs to get his NBA ring too. In the ABA he won it all in 74 and 76 which would have been his 3rd & 5th year as a pro.

[Program51]

@ngi65 Look Dr. J was a great player BUT he never developed the footwork or ability to dominate from the outside that Jordan did. Compare Doc to a guy closer to his age and era. Earl Monroe, and offensively Earl was a much more complete player. Who had "modern day" footwork and shot making ability. He lacked the athletic ability that doc had. You put both those guys together and you get MJ. Judge players by ability and skill not who won what, when, and with who.

[jbeTV1]

There would be no MJ w/out Dr.J

[stew127]

i made a mistake he did win 1983

[stew127]

yes in 1984 with moses malone

[vincespell]

Yes he won it with the Sixers a year or two before Barkley came

[blazerbenja15]

good video!

[Wobgoblin]

Dr. J represented cool. He WAS cool. Look it up in the dictionary, one of the definitions is "Julius Erving aka Dr. J."

[stew127]

yeah doc was nice

[ByronLatt]

2 ABA Finals, 4 NBA Finals.

He won in 74 and 76 with the Nets and he lost in 77, 80, 82 with the Sixers and won in 83 when they swept the Lakers.

[Enevee]

I have to admit I shed a tear when Julius retired.

[YOumeanMe]

thanks for mentioning the aba.. btw

commentary was good and deserving of the guy that changed basketball

[northills]

the prototype player of the future in 75.

[MrJrlarvitar]

he is clearly the best player in history betta den mj

[tnos10]

better than mj??? thats debatable

however erving did invent the slam dunk and was beyond most of the players of his time

[LCDragonrats]

RIP Harry Kalas!! We love and miss ya!!

[tnos10]

RIPHK

[clemenza24]

watching him play in person at the spectrum so many times was a privilege to watch him play.i heard pat williams in a interview talking about doc saying he would give every one a interview even if it was a high school kid doing something for the school paper and treat the kid the same way he would treat a reporter for the ny times,he was the greatest i miss watching him play

[joeblow394]

thats not berman talking, its phillies broadcaster harry kallas, dr.j played in philly so kalas did the nba spot feature

[MsTexas73]

RIP Harry Kallas

[joeblow394]

amen R.I.P. to this anouncer..harry kalas

[jakiepotpie]

WHO THE FUCK IS LARRY BERMAN?!

[olmazey49]

he owns the copyright to these still photos

[Gekthegecko]

No offense, but the "Larry Berman" on the pictures are extremely annoying.

[ByronLatt]

None taken...I'd rather it not be there either, but since I didn't purchase the shots, I have to give credit to the photographer. He doesn't mind though because it's a free commercial for his website.

[grazemn]

i love dr.j .

i am a great basketball player and i hope to be as good as julias erving.

[buckeyesrulemichigan]

Haha good luck

[topshatta2000]

best baller of all time your not a true baller unless u know about julius "Dr. J" Erving

[DarthLJ16]

What's the song that plays round 4:07? thanks alot. As for Doctor J, he was CRAZY

[ByronLatt]

It's called "Do It, Do It (No One Does It Better)" by The Spinners. It was a song produced by Thom Bell for a movie Doc starred in around '79 called "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh"

[watchmyshoes22]

Call dat pack that James Worthy zone 6, Julius Erving, Set my Donk on Julius Erving, Ride thru the 6 like george gervin.

[ALEX2363]

"the fish that saved pittsburgh" was docs only movie,it basically showed doc taking a team to the championship and win it all without the help of this zodiac fortune teller and lucky charm kid that were both kidnapped to prevent docs team from winning it all. still docs killer moves and defense helped his team win it all. its a comedy that showcases docs b-ball moves (and mostly in slow motion in the playground scene)

[ALEX2363]

who has a alltime top 3 DOCTOR J favorite dunk and move.....aba or nba

[ByronLatt]

Tough question...that's like asking what are my 3 favorite notes by Stevie Wonder. But if I gotta choose...1) there's the coast to coast dunk on Walton in the 77 Finals, Gm 6. 2) "The Shot" vs the Lakers in the 80 Finals, Gm 4. And 3) a baseline drive, behind the backboard, windmill, off glass, "and 1", finger roll, on Kareem in 77 at The Forum. I'm sure someone who saw him in the ABA would say those moves were routine but those are my 3 (for now)

[Kenai123]

I hear you Byron, Doctor J is no slouch either when it comes to mvps . Again its pretty much even. Bird 3 titles, J 3 titles, Bird 3-time consecutive MVP, Erving 3-time consecutive MVP (ABA)+ 1 NBA MVP. I've always wondered by Doc didn't get on the NBA defensive team like Bird did. Philly had those great defensive teams in the early 80s and everyone else got on it seemed except Doc, who had at least 10 seasons with 100 steals and blocks in the same season. Birdman has several all defensive nods.

[Kenai123]

I think its a tie between Doc and Bird, with Baylor a hair behind. They balance each other out, and its only because Bird had the better team that the perception is he's better. But the Celtics and Sixers split their playoffs 2-2, their regular season is a virual split (celts ahead by a few games). Talent wise, they canceled each other out. Erving was 6 years older then Birdman as well, as Bird was peaking in 84 Erving was in his twilight. When J was peaking, Bird was a rookie.

[ByronLatt]

Of course Bird fans will throw out the rings and MVPs, but I can get with you on the tie. A quick breakdown says, Scoring-tie, Rebounding-tie, Passing-Bird, Defense-Doc and so on...

[AceroySangre]

GREATEST SHOOTING-SMALLFORWARD EVER.

BIRD WAS THE GREATEST SMALLFORWARD EVER

JORDAN WAS THE GREATEST SHOOTING GUARD EVER

But..the D.R could Play a Mix of SMALL-FORWARD AND SHOOTING GUARD better than BOTH, averaging 24.2 ppg (50.7 FG%), 8.5 rebounds! (at only 6`6 1/2! and only 200 lbs!), 4.2 aspg, 2 spg and 1.7 bpg (at 6`6 1/2!).

Noboy Could Play Shooting Guard/SmallForward Better than him

[ByronLatt]

Doc is my all time favorite player & definitely one of the top 4 small forwards ever.  Gimme Bird, Barry and Baylor to round out the list.

[ByronLatt]

I understand the respect given 2 Bird & MJ, but declaring someone the greatest anything always starts a debate. What do you base it on, game/ability?, rings?, stats? or is it a combo of the 3? Some might argue w/ u & say Hondo was the greatest swingman ever. Besides Doc didn't really play the 2 until his last 2 years after players got a little bigger & 2 make room for Barkley at the 3. So I give Doc the title "Most Important Player Ever" based on his overall contribution, game & popularity.

[Kenai123]

Doc was a great amabassador, who played internationally as well, as domestically. He was the Captain Kirk and the Thomas J. Edison of basketball, boldly going where no player had gone before. Each game, - each drive to the hoop - seemed to reveal a new adventure, invention.

[ByronLatt]

Well said.

[hetfledermaus]

He "is" ABA.

[ByronLatt]

It's one thing when they call you "The Franchise"...they called Dr. J. "The League"

[coastlander]

4 me, he is the real "The Answer"

[coastlander]

I'm a magic johnson and thomas fan, but i salute and respect Dr. J, he is just not good but a master. Unfortunately his time is also time of Jabbar, majic, Bird (fuck), plus "Thomas" time. I just wish that Dr. J and the sixers got the championship not Larry Bird and the celtics...

[ByronLatt]

Doc won 2 ABA championships and the 83 NBA Championship. He didn't lead a dynasty but he got his share of rings. Thanks for the comment though.

[sleepy2k3]

WOW DUDE...IM IMPRESSED...YOU ARE TRULY a DR. J FAN!!!! First the intro to dr.j basketball stuff(his basketball fundamental video) Then the song from the fish that saved pittsburgh!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE COOL!!!! IM named after dr. J

[ByronLatt]

Ha, I see you picked up on that. The other sound bites I pulled from the ESPN SportsCentury tribute and some other stuff I saw on ESPN Classic. Thanks

[ongaswie]

Thanks for this Dr. J tribute! Awesome original pictures and great commentary. And the music is so coooool! Including Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft! Without Julius Erving todays basketball would be very dull and boring! Basketball has had many great players, but none of them influenced modern game more than DR.J.

Julius Erving for President! Haleluja!

[ByronLatt]

Thanks. I couldn't agree more regarding his influence on today's game.

[FSSBFlaws]

lame... only pictures..

[KD305]

THE BEST DUNKER OF ALL TIME

[doctorj924]

amen.

[theGREATEST019283746]

amen

[philanderadriaan]

amen

[bodeezy]

Also, I love the commentary...especially Bob Costas, "Hey, deal with it. This is Dr. J !! You got anybody better ?"

The NBA's answer was, very meekly, "Um....no. No we don't"

[bodeezy]

Very nice tribute. I grew up a huge Dr.J fan and I like these tributes. Yours is unique with Mr. Berman's photos...very nostalgic feel.

Sure Doc had all the moves on offense but people forget what a great shot blocker he was and his ability to steal the ball.

Doc legitimized the ABA, caused the merger with the NBA and was the star of the league.

Bird & Magic showed up & though they get much deserved credit for reviving interest in the NBA....The Doctor cannot be forgotten.

[ByronLatt]

Thanks. I couldn't have said it better.

[Kenai123]

To be fair Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, and even Earl the Goat provided a reference point, particularly Hawkins. But Erving more than anyone, made the dunk an artform. His talents more than anyone made the dunk artistic and productive.

[ByronLatt]

Tru dat and I failed to mention Manigault. Thnx for the backup.

[peachfoot]

What sets the Dr. apart is that, unlike Michael, Magic, Dominique, Lebron, Alan, etc., Julius Erving had no point of reference to base his amazing game on.

Rather, HE IS the point of reference for all of the rest of the Great Players. Dr. J literally started the crap! There was none before him. He is Michael Jordan's Professor.

[ByronLatt]

Not 2 go hoops prof. on u but even Doc cited Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins & Johnny Green as influences. Doc's game was just more complete & "he did his n color". In 87 SI's tribute issue included an article from Frank Deford who said "the public wasn't ready to understand Elgin in the 60's, but they were ready to understand Julius by the time he came along." Doc certainly helped stabilize & popularize the league during the lean years tho'. MJ came along later 2 make the NBA global.

[Kenai123]

Great vid. Its unreal that in this day of intense electronic media and the ability to virtually dig up info, Doc's mystique continues to remain strong. He really is a very special and important player.

[ByronLatt]

Thnx. 2 me Doc represented the evolution of the game along w/ Pistol, Skywalker & later Magic & he also represented the evolution of the black athlete w/ Ashe, Ali & even OJ. Guys good enough 2 win or at least b the best n their sports, b admired by all fans, articulate & charismatic enough 2 interact w/ the media, maintain a crossover appeal w/o selling out & still have enough pride 2 understand their responsibility as sports heroes. (2 bad, OJ forgot later on)

[ngi65]

Dr. J is poetry in motion, nobody can emulate his style , even MJ cant emulate him, the huge hand, the flare, too bad basketball now is not basketball, not like b4, players play for the love of the game

[azzgetter]

thanks! i'm a fan too,and i must say that shit brought a tear to my eye remembering all those battles with L.A. and boston. MOses Malone helped take them to the promised land!

[mrdwightschrute]

nice photo tribute man.

[ByronLatt]

Appreciate it. No video like some of the others I've seen but the "soundtrack" is unique so it came out pretty good.