It is hard to imagine what type of fanfare Julius Erving would have had if he came along in this day and age. In an era where social media clips of impressive athletic feats are shared instantly after a rim rocking dunk or acrobatic finish happen, the Hall of Famer’s moves would have dominated the likes of Instagram and Twitter. It’s not an exaggeration to think that Julius Erving’s net worth could have double or even tripled had his stylistic method of playing basketball had been featured in the last decade.
Very few players can combine being excellent at their craft while putting on a show. Michael Jordan certainly comes to mind, but Dr. J was doing this before the Bulls legend ever came on to the professional scene. The level of creativity Erving brought to the game puts him in an iconic club of beloved NBA greats.
Julius Erving – Childhood
The story of Julius Winfield Erving II begins on February 22, 1950 in Roosevelt, New York. He was born to parents Julius Erving and Callie Mae Erving, although the future basketball superstar would not really get to know his father. Julius Erving senior had left the family when his son was three years old to remarry. When the young Julius was just seven years old, his dad was fatally injured in a car accident. This left his mother no choice but to be the main breadwinner for the family, which included Julius and two other children. It was a difficult circumstance, considering that the family lived in a housing project in a rough part of Long Island in those days.
While the family struggled to make ends meet, young Julius had found something he was passionate about. He loved to play the game of basketball, and was consumed with getting better each day. The sport was an outlet of expression for the boy, who by some accounts was painfully shy, although his intelligence was evident in school. Erving would add to his game at the park, and play on a Salvation Army team for a couple of years. With the future Dr. J leading the way, the team ran through the competition, losing only four games in two years. In his second season, the team won the Inter-County Basketball Association tournament.
Julius Erving – High School
The next chapter of Julius Erving’s life would unfold at Roosevelt High School, which he would use as a stepping stone to achieve great things in the future. It was here where he was given the nickname that would stick with him for eternity. “The doctor” was an appropriate moniker for him in a couple of different ways. On the court, Erving played with a level of methodical but precise movement that would keep him one step ahead of the competition. In the classroom, the teenager thought that he could one day pursue medicine professionally, since professional basketball had not yet grown into what it is today.
But it was clear that Erving was destined for something special in the world of sports. He would end up starring on Roosevelt’s junior varsity team, and then shortly thereafter against increased competition on varsity. While everyone who watched him play was dazzled by his ability, Erving himself thought that his skill set was largely unremarkable, and simply a product of hard work.
This humble nature allowed the teenager to remain grounded despite the massive amount of attention he was getting. Erving was recognized as an All-County and All-Long Island player, and had collegiate basketball programs around the United States extremely interested in bringing him to their campus. Erving’s former junior varsity coach at Roosevelt once said that when universities came to Long Island to take the prodigy out to dinner, the only items he would order were two hamburgers, fries and a Coca-Cola, rather than an extremely expensive meal.
Julius Erving – College
Despite all of the hamburgers and French fries Erving would consume on these meals, his college choice came down to a relatively basic case of networking. Roosevelt’s varsity basketball coach, Ray Wilson, had a pre-existing relationship with the head coach at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Wilson made the introduction between Julius Erving and Jack Leaman, which would be enough for the generational prospect to join the Minutemen basketball team once high school was over.
Quite literally from day one and game one, Julius Erving could not be stopped on the collegiate level. He would average over 25 points per game, nearly 21 rebounds per game, and just under four assists. The amount of production Erving provided almost seemed fictional. While the scoring feats were always impressive, his rebounding achievements might be the most notable. Erving was only 6’6”, and the power forward/center position in those days were usually manned by players who were taller and stronger than their counterparts. His prowess on the glass proved how badly the college star wanted to dominate in all areas of the game.
Not surprisingly, the University of Massachusetts would finish first in the Yankee Conference every year while Erving was on the roster. To put his brilliant college career in perspective, perhaps only one metric can help do it justice; there was only one game in Julius Erving’s college career where he did not record a double-double.
The program would later honor the accomplishments of Erving by constructing a statue of him outside of their basketball arena. The university also built a statue of former coach Jack Leaman as well, whom Erving later called an instrumental part of his college experience.
Julius Erving – Virginia Squires
Erving would end up leaving the University of Massachusetts a year early to start his professional career with the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association. The ABA, as it was known, was an alternative league to the NBA. It was not as popular or profitable, but it did introduce elements of the game we know today, such as a three point line and a fast break style of play.
The former UMass star’s profile would have been much larger had he played in the NBA, but was not able to join the league at that time since he had not graduated from college.
Even though his masterful performances were largely unseen by the general public, Julius Erving was a force to be reckoned with for the Squires. He averaged over 27 points per game and nearly 16 rebounds per contest as a rookie, and was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team in 1971-1972.
In one of the most under-reported overlaps in basketball history, the Squires would bring rookie George Gervin to the team for the 1972-1973 season, to pair with the dynamic Dr. J. Because of the league’s shaky financial footing and minimal media coverage, not many fans outside of Virginia got to see two basketball legends on the court at the same time. In that season, Erving would lead the ABA in scoring with an average of nearly 32 points per game.
Julius Erving – NBA Complications
While the average basketball fan across the country may not have been intimately familiar with the kind of special talent Julius Erving possessed, NBA executives certainly knew who he was, and what he was doing in the alternate league.
It was commonly understood that Erving would not be an NBA player during the 1971-1972 season due to the academic rules the league had in place, but there was certainly an interest on both sides to make something work after that.
In the 1972 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks took Julius Erving with the 12th pick. The franchise had visions of pairing the vibrant player with superstars Oscar Robertson and Lew Alcindor(Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
However, Erving would never end up playing for Milwaukee due to a complex set of factors. One detail that the Bucks may or may not have been aware of was that he had already signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks.
The circumstances around Erving’s deals and intentions became extremely confusing, because he was also still a member of the Virginia Squires. According to reports, Erving wanted a long term extension from the Squires, but he lost confidence in their desire to provide such a contract. As a result, he signed the deal with the Hawks to create leverage, before Milwaukee decided to select him.
This turned into a very messy situation, and the matter was actually brought to a federal court. The judge ruled that Erving could only play for the Virginia Squires in 1972-1973, and the NBA would have to work out what would happen between the Hawks and the Bucks.
Julius Erving – New York Nets
After the acrimony between the franchise and Erving, it was clear that his second season in Virginia would be his last. During the summer of 1973, Julius Erving was traded to the New York Nets in exchange for cash, George Carter and Kermit Washington. The Nets did not have anywhere near the following that the NBA’s New York Knicks did, but this would be an extremely appealing opportunity for Erving. The franchise was based out of Long Island, and played their home games at the Nassau Coliseum, meaning that the superstar would essentially be playing minutes from where he grew up.
With familiar faces and a renewed sense of loyalty to motivate him, Julius Erving led the ABA in scoring for a second consecutive year with his new team. The Nets would experience team success that had eluded Virginia during the first couple years of Erving’s career. En route to winning the ABA title, New York would dispose of the Squires in the first round of the playoffs, and cruise to a finals victory over the Utah Stars. Erving would essentially end the final series before it began, dropping 47 points in Game 1 to set the tone.
New York was not able to repeat as champions in 1974-1975, but it set the stage for a highly dramatic 1975-1976 campaign. Despite featuring an attractive brand of basketball with some highly marketable stars, the ABA continued to sputter from a financial perspective and was not going to be able to continue on. This would be the final year of its existence, and the NBA agreed to absorb four ABA teams that were the most profitable; the San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets, Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets.
With one final campaign to go, the league went out admirably. They hosted the first ever Slam Dunk contest, which would go on to become a staple of All-Star entertainment to this day. Julius Erving participated in the inaugural contest, and did something no one had ever seen before. With a running start from the other side of the court, he leapt from the free throw line and dunked the ball without ever touching the ground. It was the type of breathtaking athleticism that fans could not take their eyes off of.
The New York Nets would finish with the second best record in the ABA, and would qualify for the postseason. This playoff run was not going to be easy, as each team wanted to be crowned champion in the league’s final season of existence. The Nets certainly had to earn it, but they would end up defeating the NBA-bound Spurs in a seven game series, before also beating the NBA-bound Denver Nuggets in six games in the finals. Julius Erving’s career in the ABA was nothing short of spectacular, but he truly stamped himself as the face of the league just before it ended up folding.
Julius Erving – Philadelphia 76ers
On the surface, it seemed like the New York Nets would have one of the most advantageous positions of any expansion team in NBA history. They came into the league with an enormous star who actually grew up in the market that he played in. The luster from the Knicks’ most recent championship season a few years earlier was starting to wear off, and it was possible that the Nets could garner significant interest with one of the most exciting players ever wearing their uniform.
However, that tantalizing reality would never materialize. Perhaps due to the transition to a more stable league with higher marketing potential, Erving wanted a raise. The Nets felt like the asking price was too high, and this disagreement about compensation lasted until the precipice of the regular season. Finally, right before the 1976-1977 campaign was about to tip off, New York sold Julius Erving’s player rights to the Philadelphia 76ers. While something like this would involve bundles of draft capital today, it was a step in the direction of player empowerment that is commonplace in the modern era.
Nevertheless, the 76ers now had a legitimate star to build around after some lean years in the 1970’s. As he had done everywhere else in his amateur and professional career, Erving was a showstopper from the very beginning. His statistics went down slightly in his first few seasons in the NBA because the talent in the league was better, but he was still an unquestioned All-Star.
Philadelphia never missed the postseason during any of Erving’s 11 seasons with the team. The franchise went through different eras during that time. The team was unquestionably Julius Erving’s for his first couple of years there, but the roster started to morph after that. The 76ers would bring in players like Bobby Jones and Maurice Cheeks, to pair with a developing Darryl Dawkins at center. In the early 1980’s Andrew Toney and Moses Malone would be added. In the twilight of Erving’s career, Philadelphia would draft Charles Barkley. Barkley would give Erving a ton of credit for teaching him how to become a professional and take care of himself in the NBA.
Julius Erving – NBA Finals
At first, two-time ABA champion Julius Erving would not have the same fortunes on the NBA’s largest stage. The 76ers made the NBA Finals in his first year with the team, but were upset by a Portland Trail Blazers team featuring Bill Walton.
Philadelphia would make the NBA Finals again in 1979-1980, and probably felt like they had a great opportunity to win the series. Los Angeles Lakers star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar could not play in Game 6 due to an ankle injury, and the team started their rookie point guard in his place. Of course, that was Magic Johnson, and he would go on to have one of the most memorable performances in NBA history.
The two teams would square off again in the 1982 championship series, but Philadelphia would once again fall short in six games. Andrew Toney and Julius Erving had a marvelous scoring performance, but Los Angeles’ well rounded team play proved to be too much to overcome.
Luckily for the team and for Erving, they were able to capture the NBA title in their third matchup with Los Angeles. The addition of Moses Malone brought a rugged toughness that the Lakers had trouble dealing with, and Philadelphia would sweep the dynastic team from the west coast. Julius Erving was now a champion in the ABA and in the NBA.
Julius Erving – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame
It almost seemed like there would never be any doubt that Julius Erving’s basketball journey would end in the Hall of Fame, even dating back to when he was a teenager on Long Island. That honor was made official when he was inducted as part of the Naismith Memorial’s 1993 class.
As a retired American basketball player, most fans will think of Erving rim-rattling dunks or gravity defying forays to the rim, and rightfully so. Considering that he was an All-Star player in every single season of his illustrious career makes him even more impressive. Additionally, he does not get nearly enough credit for being a valuable defensive player. His steal and block averages throughout the course of his career proves that he was all about winning, and not just appearing on flashy highlight segments of sports shows. It is a basketball career that will not likely be duplicated again in basketball history.
Julius Erving – Net Worth
Julius Erving is an NBA legend and has an estimated net worth of $50 million. He was one of the highest-paid players in the league during his prime and is still highly respected by both fans and fellow athletes alike. He earned most of his wealth through his basketball career, but he has also made money through various endorsements and investments.
Did Julius Erving win a MVP?
Julius Erving has won four MVP awards in his illustrious career. However, three of those MVP awards came while he was playing in the ABA, or American Basketball Association, as a member of the New York Nets. He had been a prolific scorer with New York, and won the MVP in three consecutive seasons. In his NBA career, Erving would take home another league MVP award with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1980-1981 season. During that campaign, he would average 24 points per game, to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. He would also play in all 82 games during the regular season.
What teams did Julius Erving play for in the NBA?
After playing for a couple different teams in the ABA, Julius Erving would play for one franchise during his entire NBA career. He joined the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of the 1976-1977 season, and would remain there until he retired following the 1986-1987 season.
He would make the All-NBA team seven times during his tenure there, and was named to the league’s 50th anniversary and 75th anniversary all-time teams. During his time with the 76ers, he would compile composite averages of 22 points per game, nearly seven rebounds and four assists. He played in 836 total regular season games with the franchise.
Did Julius Erving win a championship?
Julius Erving, otherwise known as Dr. J, does have a ring. As a matter of fact, he has several, if you take his ABA career into consideration. He was a part of two championship winning teams with the New York Nets, including the team that won it all during the final year of the ABA’s existence. Erving would add to his ring total in the NBA, as part of the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers team that won the title. He would make the NBA Finals a couple of other times as well, including in 1977, when the 76ers had a 2-0 series lead against the Portland Trail Blazers.
