Julius Erving

**Julius Winfield Erving II** (born February 22, 1950) is a retired American basketball player. He went to Roosevelt High school. He is best known by the nickname **Dr. J**.  Other nicknames include **The Doctor** and **J. W. Erving**.  Erving helped create the modern style of basketball. Jumping and playing above the rim of the basket became a more important part of the game.

## Career

Erving was the best known player in the American Basketball Association (ABA) when it joined with the NBA in 1976. He won three championships and four Most Valuable Player Awards. He scored the most points in the league three times. He did it while playing with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.

He is the fifth-highest scorer in professional basketball history. He scored 30,026 points (NBA and ABA combined). He was the only player to have been voted Most Valuable Player in both the ABA and the NBA. Erving was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time team. In 1993, he was added into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Many think that Erving is one of the best basketball players ever. He was well known for slam dunking from the free throw line. He was one of the best dunkers of all time. His best known dunk was the "slam" dunk. Since then, this move has become a regular term in basketball and is felt by most the be a basic part of the game. He is also credited with making the "cross-over" dribble and the "no look" pass a part of the game.

## Infobox (basketball biography)

- **name**: Julius Erving
- **image**: Erving Lipofsky.jpg
- **width**: 244
- **caption**: Erving with the Philadelphia 76ers
- **height ft**: 6
- **height in**: 7
- **weight lb**: 210
- **birth place**: East Meadow, New York
- **nationality**: American
- **high school**: Roosevelt High School (Roosevelt, New York), Roosevelt (Roosevelt, New York)
- **college**: UMass Minutemen basketball, UMass (1968–1971)
- **draft year**: 1972
- **draft round**: 1
- **draft pick**: 12
- **draft team**: Milwaukee Bucks
- **career position**: Small forward
- **career number**: 32, 6
- **career start**: 1971
- **career end**: 1987
- **years1**: 1971–72 ABA season, 1971–1972–73 ABA season, 1973
- **team1**: Virginia Squires (American Basketball Association, ABA)
- **years2**: 1973–74 ABA season, 1973–1975–76 ABA season, 1976
- **team2**: Brooklyn Nets, New York Nets (American Basketball Association, ABA)
- **years3**: –
- **team3**: Philadelphia 76ers
- **highlights**: * List of NBA champions, NBA champion ()
* 2× List of ABA champions, ABA champion (1974 ABA Playoffs, 1974, 1976 ABA Playoffs, 1976)
* 2× List of American Basketball Association awards and honors#Playoffs MVP, ABA Playoffs MVP (1974 ABA Playoffs, 1974, 1976 ABA Playoffs, 1976)
* NBA Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Most Valuable Player ()
* 3× List of American Basketball Association awards and honors#Most Valuable Player, ABA Most Valuable Player (1973–74 ABA season, 1974–1975–76 ABA season, 1976)
* 11× List of NBA All-Stars, NBA All-Star (–)
* 5× ABA All-Star (1971–72 ABA season, 1972–1975–76 ABA season, 1976)
* 2× NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, NBA All-Star Game MVP (, )
* 5× All-NBA Team, All-NBA First Team (, –)
* 2× All-NBA Team, All-NBA Second Team (, )
* 4× List of American Basketball Association awards and honors#All-ABA Team, All-ABA First Team (1972–73 ABA season, 1973–1975–76 ABA season, 1976)
* All-ABA Second Team (1971–72 ABA season, 1972)
* List of American Basketball Association awards and honors#All-Defensive Team, ABA All-Defensive First Team (1975–76 ABA season, 1976)
* List of American Basketball Association awards and honors#All-Rookie Team, ABA All-Rookie First Team (1971–72 ABA season, 1972)
* ABA Slam Dunk Champion (1975-76 ABA season, 1976)
* J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award ()
* No. 32 Brooklyn Nets#Retired numbers, retired by Brooklyn Nets
* No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers#Retired numbers, retired by Philadelphia 76ers
* ABA All-Time Team
* NBA 35th Anniversary Team
* 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
* Third-team NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, All-American – National Association of Basketball Coaches, NABC, United Press International, UPI (1971 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, 1971)
* No. 32 UMass Minutemen men's basketball#Retired numbers, retired by UMass
- **stats league**: NBA
- **stat1label**: Point (basketball), Points
- **stat1value**: 18,364 (22.0 ppg)
- **stat2label**: Rebound (basketball), Rebounds
- **stat2value**: 5,601 (6.7 rpg)
- **stat3label**: Assist (basketball), Assists
- **stat3value**: 3,224 (3.9 apg)
- **bbr**: ervinju01
- **letter**: e
- **hof player**: julius-w-erving
- **cbbaskhof year**: 2006