Julius Erving (Dr. J) Heart Of The CITY

Doc's the pioneer

Doc had those great hands. He had the ability to do a lot of the stuff he did with one hand out there. He had that sweeping move where he would hook and drive to the basket.

Philadelphia 76ers

NBA.COM : Julius Erving, the great and wondrous "Dr. J," was the dominant player of his era, an innovator who changed the way the game was played. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before seen: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks. Erving was one of the first players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that would prevail in the decades to follow.


Although the origins of his nickname remain unclear, the most common story has the moniker coming from a high school friend, who dubbed Erving "Doctor" because Erving called him "Professor." The name stuck, and it even came to define the way Erving "operated" on a basketball court.


Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950, raised in Roosevelt, New York), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a former American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim.

Erving helped legitimize the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA). Much as some players are considered "the team," Dr. J was considered "the league." He was the main asset of the ABA when it merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.

Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles while playing with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He is the fifth-highest scorer in professional basketball history, with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined).

Erving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1993 was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. Many consider him among the most spectacular basketballers ever, and one of the best dunkers. His signature dunk was "the Tomahawk."

"Doc's the pioneer. He is the first player in the NBA that transcended the game—also in the ABA. He took it and gave it a broader appeal so it just wasn't mainstream purists and fans watching the game. I wish he had great big hands. He could just pick up the ball, go and do so many creative things.

He had a long first step. He had a lot of moves when he got around the basket. He knew how to use his body to create contact and still be able to get the shot off.

Erving earned the nickname "Doctor J" in high school, where he displayed a precise method of play for Roosevelt High School.

He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in 1968. In two varsity college basketball seasons, he averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, becoming one of only five players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game in NCAA Men's Basketball.[1]

At that time, professional basketball was in flux, split between two leagues whose players rapidly switched clubs and leagues. Erving joined the ABA in 1971 as an undergraduate free agent with the Squires.

New York Nets
The Squires, like most ABA teams, were on rather shaky financial ground. They were forced to trade Erving to the Nets in 1973--a move which eventually sent the Squires into oblivion. The Nets had been an also-ran for their first six years of existence, but Erving led them to their first ABA title in 1973-74, defeating the Utah Stars. Erving established himself as the most important player in the ABA. His spectacular play established the Nets as the ABA's flagship franchise, and brought fans and credibility to the league.

By 1976, the ABA was failing. The Nets actually applied for admission to the NBA before the season, but were forced to play a lame-duck season in the dying league by court order. The Erving-led Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets (who had also applied to join the NBA) in the swan-song finals of the ABA. In the postseason, Erving averaged 34.7 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.

In his five ABA seasons, Erving won two championships, three MVP trophies, and three scoring titles

In the following years, Erving coped with a team that was not yet playing at his level. The Sixers were eliminated twice in the Eastern Conference Finals. In 1979, Larry Bird entered the league, reviving the Boston Celtics and the storied Celtics-76ers rivalry; these two teams faced each other in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next four years. The Bird vs. Dr. J matchup became arguably the top personal rivalry in the sport (along with Bird vs. Magic Johnson), inspiring the early Electronic Arts video game Julius Erving-Larry Bird One-on-One.

He was ranked #10 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of All Time in 2003

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[doomedamerica]

africans and their jungle crap called rap?..what a insult to dr j......

[falkner23]

are u kidding me man u diss are whole race and think u with dr.j well reality check bruh hes black aswell so get the fuck outta here

[emperifollado]

hey falkner 23.. thats a great mix... but id like to know from who is the music in the video?

[falkner23]

the song is jay-z heart of a city

[falkner23]

thanks man i feel this music gives the mix a great feel

[JSEProduction]

the kid who was playing was not Dr.J because Dr.J was already playing when the colors just came up

[falkner23]

its kool man i already knew that the kids just there 2 show dr.js legendary moves inspiring everyone & showing the kid doing dr.j type moves

[ALEX2363]

true that, doc revived our city for 11 years, everybody wanted to be doc, black,white,chinese,spanish..h­e broke that racial barrier in our playgrounds and the world. today nba players are told how to be. but doc was a true player and human on his own merit, what you see is what you what get from doc he wasnt fake..i miss his game.

[hooperqi]

Look at 1:18 where Bobby Gross, also 6'6" tall and really quick, is right with Dr. J. but still gets dunked on with ease. Dr. J is the most dominant small forward ever when it came to finishing on the break and going to the hoop in the half court. He could get up so quick, hang and then finish soooo strong. Too bad there isn't more footage of the Dr. J in his prime in the ABA. What a great player!

[LUPAC86]

Thumbs up if "Dr.J" reminds you of Denzel Washington :)

[farneyblakeley]

Look at his stats sometime, very impressive, especially in the ABA, where he averaged 33 points and 20 rebounds his first season in the playoffs! 50% shooter for his career

[com4700]

the biggest damn hands for his size

[VEGASINTN]

awesome video man....J and D. Thompson were the most exciting to watch.

[JonBrown5]

Lol its funny how they say Jordan was the best but he models almost every aspect of his game from Dr. J . just look back at the moves (cradle dunk -actually the way he dunks also)

[reno93535]

@BigTimePride That's a fact.

[reno93535]

Audio sucks. Just turn it off. FU to those that don't agree.

[soogoonu]

@ 1:38 the best move ever seen in a bb court

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