Julius Erving, the first dunk virtuoso

Director Jonathan Demme offered him his own role in the film ” Philadelphia » with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. This means that Julius Erving, better known by the nickname ” Dr. J “, he is inseparable from the city of brotherly love. Great class! No one forgot his afro, his endless arms, his white and red Converse All-Stars, his tomahawks, crazy alleys and other dunks from nowhere…

A true basketball powerhouse, “Dr. J” (Feb. 22, age 76) paved the way for all 90s dunkers, beginning with Michael Jordan who always referred to the Master. “He was my idol, he was the one I wanted to be like”during his media interventions he regularly pronounced “His transparency”.

A cult player of the defunct ABA where he was the top scorer three times (1973, 74 and 76), Julius Erving invented spectacular basketball. The slam dunk contest, created by the ABA and then taken over by the NBA, would definitively establish his fame. In 1976, at the defunct league’s final All-Star Game in Denver, the Doctor faced off against David Thompson in the finals of a “smashing” contest, as they called it at the time.

To win, “Dr. J” must take all the risks. Makes a dunk from the free throw line. What dunk will Jordan use to win the same type of drill against Dominique Wilkins, Atlanta’s dunk machine?

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The arrival of Julius Erving to the Philadelphia Sixers in 1976 filled NBA rooms. He would single-handedly raise the profile of American professional basketball and then go astray. It should have been sanctified in the 80s. Just look at Magic Johnson and Larry Bird coming…

In turn, the two thugs steal the show. In 1980, Magic, then a rookie, knocked off the Philadelphia Spectrum in the NBA Finals with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals in Game 6. In the 4th round, however, it was Erving who made a gesture that will remain for posterity: a baseline layup where the waiting time allowed him to get behind the circle to avoid the Lakers’ interior.

A move he performed in the ABA League, but it was the first in the NBA. At first, Julius Erving wanted to dunk, but he saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and changed his mind. Almost in a second. ” I flew, rose, and found myself in the air… I just waited until the last moment, and found myself on the other side of the racket to put a little retro effect on the ball. »

Then a rookie, Magic Johnson was speechless with admiration. ” I was there trying to win the title, and my mouth was wide open. Did he really do that? I said to myself, “What do we do? Touch the ball? Ask him to do it again? That remains the most beautiful move I’ve ever seen on the field. The most beautiful of all time.” »

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The following year, Julius was named the season’s MVP, but Bird’s Boston swept the Sixers in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals before winning against the Rockets. Erving will therefore wait until he is 33 years old to experience the thrill, the joy of lifting the ultimate trophy. His association with Moses Malone, the racquet sweeper, allowed him to break 4-0 in the finals of the Lakers, greatly diminished by the absences Kareem Abdul-JabbarJames Worthy and Bob McAdoo.

Then Bird will find his way again, but this time there will be conflict. On this day in November 1984, legend has it that Bird was pestering Erving about his scoring… Julius Erving got annoyed, so he obstructed Bird at the end of the 3rd quarter. The two fight, and Bird ends up on the ground.

But what happens next becomes epic. While Charles Barkley, then a rookie, and Moses Malone held Bird, Julius Erving brought him several rights. What follows is an unforgettable melee in which 18 players participate!!!

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Upon arrival, the NBA will hand out $30,500 in fines, including $7,500 for Bird and Dr. J alone. A record for that time.

A month later, they will meet again at the Christmas poster with a David Stern worried about his first weeks at the helm of the NBA.

Before the break, Dr. J. will make the first move to Byrd to calm things down. ” The dispute is behind usErving will say. The two teams will play four more times against each other, not counting the playoffs. And they both want to play, not start a gang war or repeat what happened. We don’t need that. »

For his part, Bird will use a nice formula. ” I’ve always fought with my brothers, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them. »

Two seasons later, at age 36, “Dr. J” would retire with a final season average of 17 points. With gray hair, he then became an ambassador for the NBA around the world. A “wise man” who remains an absolute reference, the avant-garde basketball player we know today.

Article written by Mondial Basket in the “MVP Saga”

MVP title: in 1981

NBA Champion: in 1983

All-Star game : 11

TOP 10 IN CAREER

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How to read statistics? MJ = matches played; Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive jump; Tot = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; Points = Points.