Julius Eriving
Uploaded by playerdnice908 on Oct 30, 2005
Julius Erving was born in Hempstead, Long Island. His father left the family when Julius
was only three. His mother worked as a domestic to support her three children. The family lived
in a public housing project, and life was difficult, Mrs. Erving worked to instill a sense of self worth
in her children, and young Julius realized his gift for basketball could be a ticket to a better life. By
age ten, Julius was averaging eleven points a game with his Salvation Army team.
When Julius Erving was 13, his mother remarried, and the family move to the nearby town
of Roosevelt. There, Julius maintained a high academic average and played on the high school
team, all county and all-Long Island teams competing in state-wide tournaments. Erving acquired
the nickname “the Doctor” while still at Roosevelt High. His teammates would later alter this to
“Dr. J.”
The basketball coach at Roosevelt High, Ray Wilson, introduced young Julius to Coach
Jack Leaman of the University of Massachusetts. After high school, Erving entered the university,
where Ray Wilson was hired as assistant coach the following year.
At Massachusetts, Erving broke freshman records for scoring and rebounding, leading his
team through an undefeated season. The next year, he had the second best rebound tally in the
country. Over the summer, he joined an NCAA all-star team touring Western Europe and the
Soviet Union. He was voted most valuable player on the tour.
Julius Erving left the University to go professional after his junior year. He is one of only
seven players in the history of NCAA basketball to average over 20 points and 20 rebounds per
game.
In 1971, Julius Erving began his professional career with the Virginia Squires of the
American Basketball Association. The ABA was fighting an uphill to gain the same recognition
enjoyed by the more established National Basketball Association. Julius Erving, or Dr. J, as fans
now called him, did more than anyone else to win that recognition for the new association.
In his first pro season, Dr. J, ranked sixth in the ABA in scoring, third in rebounding. He was voted
ABA Rookie of the Year at the close of the season. The following year, he lead the ABA in scoring,
averaging 31.9 points per game.
In 1973, Dr. J attempted to sign with the Atlantic Hawks of the NBA, and found himself
on the middle of a complicated legal wrangle. The Squires claimed he...