They were forced to trade Erving to the Nets in 1973-a move which eventually sent the Squires into oblivion.
The Squires, like most ABA teams, were on rather shaky financial ground. The graceful forward with dazzling people with his flashy, exciting style of play, which fit well with the ABA's up-tempo image. Back in the ABA, his game flourished, and he achieved a career-best 31.9 points per game. He played three exhibition games with Pete Maravich until, because of a legal injunction, he was obliged to return to the ABA Squires. Instead, the 6'7", 210 pound Erving signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks before the 1972-73 season. This move would have brought him together with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When he became eligible for the NBA draft in 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall).
He led the Squires into the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost to the Rick Barry-led New York Nets. He scored 27.3 points per game as a rookie, was selected to the All-ABA Second Team, made the ABA All-Rookie Team, and finished second to Artis Gilmore for the ABA Rookie of the Year Award.
#Julius erving championships free
Erving joined the ABA in 1971 as an undrafted free agent with the Squires.Įrving quickly established himself as a force and gained a reputation for hard and ruthless dunking.
#Julius erving championships professional
Īt that time, professional basketball was in flux, split between two leagues whose players rapidly switched clubs and leagues. 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. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in 1968. His signature dunk was the "slam" dunk, since incorporated into the vernacular and basic skill set of the game, in the same manner as the "cross-over" dribble and the "no look" pass.Įrving earned the nickname "Doctor J" in high school, where he displayed a precise method of play for Roosevelt High School Template:Fact. Many consider him among the most spectacular basketballers ever, and one of the best dunkers. In 2004, he was inducted into the Nassau County Sports Hall of Fame. He is well-known for slam dunking from the free throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, as well as Michael Jordan.Įrving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team and in 1993 was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
He is the fifth-highest scorer in professional basketball history, with 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). J was considered "the league." He was the most well-known player in the ABA when the ABA-NBA merger joined it with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.Įrving 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. Much as some players are considered "the team," Dr. Erving helped legitimize the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA). J, is a retired American professional basketball player and Basketball Hall of Famer. Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950) known by his nickname Dr.
32 retired by Brooklyn/New Jersey/New York Nets
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