11/18/2023 0 Comments Julius erving championships“He understood what his role was and how important it was for him to conduct himself as a representative of the league. “As a basketball player, Julius was the first to truly take the torch and become the spokesman for the NBA,” said friend and former coach Billy Cunningham. He was the epitome of class, and no other player was more respected. 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.Ī gracious, dignified and disciplined man, Erving was an ideal ambassador for the game. He was a wizard with the ball, performing feats never before like midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks. J,” was the dominant player of his era and an innovator who changed the way the game was played. Julius Erving, the great and wondrous “Dr. > Archive 75: Julius Erving | 75 Stories: Julius Erving He was selected for the ABA's all-time team and the NBA's 35-year and 50-year anniversary teams.Įrving was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.Julius Erving revolutionized the game with his graceful-yet-powerful playing style that set the tone for future NBA greats. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 1983.Įrving's jersey was retired by the Brooklyn Nets (No. Additionally, he was twice the NBA All-Star Game MVP (1977, 1983), a five-time All-NBA First Team selection (1978, 1980–1983) and two-time All-NBA Second Team pick (1977, 1984), and All-ABA First Team on four occasions (1973–1976). Universally lauded, Erving's personal trophy case includes two ABA Playoffs MVPs (1974, 1976), the 1981 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, three ABA Most Valuable Player awards (1974–1976), 11 NBA All-Star (1977–1987) appearances and being a five-time ABA All-Star (1972–1976). 506 field goal percentage, and per-game averages of 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals per game and 1.7 blocks. ![]() J played 16 totals season between the ABA (1971-76) and NBA (1977-87) with career totals including 1,243 games played, a. ![]() Incredibly, only once in his 52 career games did he fail to record a double-double.Įrving turned pro following his junior year, but not before leading UMass to back-to-back Yankee Conference titles and its first two appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).Īlong with George "Trigger" Burke, Marcus Camby, all-time scoring leader Lou Roe and former head coach John Calipari, Erving remains one of only five Minutemen to have a jersey retired in his honor.Įrving set UMass records in scoring (1,370 points) and rebounding (1,049), in just two seasons.įollowing his collegiate playing days, Erving went on to be one of the greatest players in ABA and NBA history, led the then New York Nets to ABA titles in 19, and the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship.ĭr. ![]() J," played basketball for two seasons under legendary head coach and fellow UMass Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Jack Leaman from 1969-71.ĭuring his two seasons, Erving averaged an astounding 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per contest. Unquestionably the greatest known athlete in UMass history, Julius Erving, known simply to the world as "Dr.
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