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articles : Dr. J, No One Ever Like Him
 Dr. J, No One Ever Like Him
The most exciting player in pro basketball? No contest. He is The Doctor. Dr. J. Julius Erving.
He is No. 32, who you will be seeing this afternoon with the New York Nets. A 6-7 forward as quick as any guard, as graceful as a swan, as exciting as…as only Dr. J. himself.
He is the guy whose astounding moves on the basketball court leave even the opposition fans in every city in the ABA murmuring incredulously, "wow ,did you see that?"
He brings them all out of their seats.
But it is not only the fans who agree that Dr. J. is The Man. his own peers, his teammates and the opposition marvel at his talents. They, too, get excited watching him.
For example, at a recent All Star game in Denver when the exciting and spectacular dunking contest was held at halftime, the players in the game stayed on the court at halftime and watched with interest as Artis Gilmore, George Gervin, Larry Kenon and David Thompson went through their slam dunk routines.
But when Dr. J. strode onto the court to perform, fans and players alike went bananas. The place was up for grabs.
Naturally, the winner was Erving.
It was one of the few times the players get a chance to see him do his thing, and they don't have to suffer the consequences. He wasn't making some fantastic shot against them. he wasn't scoring points against their team.
"You don't stop him," says Indiana defensive ace Darnell Hillman. "You just try to keep it respectable. He's a monster."
Hillmans' coach Bob Leonard, agrees. "When Julie gets that outside shot going, he's a monster."
ABA commissioner Dave DeBusschere, no slouch as a defensive player himself during his playing days, says Erving "does things with the basketball that no one else can do."
Erving's coach with the Nets, Kevin Loughery, says "there's never been anybody like the Doc."
The nickname itself, "Dr. J.," or "The Doctor," seems to set him apart from the other players. Everyone holds him in such awe that their simple use of the name seems to spell it in large, bold capital letters with quotation marks. It simply stands out, as he does.
Erving earned his doctorate degree back in his high school days at Roosevelt high on Long Island when he and a friend decided to call each other by nicknames. Erving tabbed his friend "The Professor," perhaps because of his scholastic prowess. The friend called Erving "The Doctor," probably because of the way he operated on the basketball court.
They both went to the University of Massachusetts and continued to call each other by their nicknames, but kept it a private thing only between themselves.
Then, the summer Erving played in New York's well known Rucker basketball tournament, the announcer, trying to describe some of Erving's moves on the court, was calling him "Houdini" and the "Claw," among other names.
"One day I went over to him," Erving relates, "and said, 'look, if you're going to call me any nickname, I already have one. It's The Doctor.'"
By the time he became a member of the Virginia Squires, word of the nickname had spread, and finally his roommate with the Squires, Willie Sojourner, shortened it by dubbing him "Dr. J."
Erving certainly lived up to the name, operating as no one else has ever done on the basketball court.
"Many players feel that if they make a mistake the coach is going to take them out," he explains. "They play with the ball on a string all the time. I know players who can do fantastic things with the ball but they never do them. They fear that if they don't play a mechanical game and stick to patterns they're going to be taken out. I'd hate to be in a position where I had to play like that."
"I get up in the air and do whatever comes into my mind to make a play," says the soft-spoken superstar with hands that take a size 11 glove. "I don't make moves for effect, although I love to hear the crowd enjoy them. The moves are extemporaneous."
Those moves have earned the 26-year old Erving every available honor, along with the highest respect from teammates and opponents alike.
In his first four seasons, he has won two scoring titles, finished second and, as a rookie, finished sixth. He appears certain to capture his third scoring crown this season. His over-all average entering this season was 28.5 points a game. In playoff competition, he is still tougher, 29.7, with more than 13 rebounds a game.
He has led the Nets to an ABA title, has been named three times to the All League First Team and once, as a rookie, to the Second Team, and is a shoo-in this season for the First Team. He also is a favorite to capture his third Most Valuable Player award.
This is the Dr. J. you will be seeing this afternoon. You can tell your grandchildren you saw him play.
(This article appeared originally in a Spirits of St. Louis Official Program, March 28, 1976.)
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