Dr
Dr. j (julius erving)Julius Erving
"I knew basketball was a way out. And I worked hard to succeed."
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, but 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 moved 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 this 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 basketballto 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 battle to gain the same recognition enjoyed by the more
established National Basketball Association (NBA). 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...
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