Julius Erving

Julius Erving, born in 1950, American professional basketball player, widely known as Dr. J, one of the greatest and most exciting scorers in basketball history. Erving, who played forward and guard positions, became famous for his jumping ability, his athletic moves with the ball, and his soaring dunk shots. He was the third player, following Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to score more than 30,000 points in a professional basketball career.

Born Julius Winfield Erving, Jr., in East Meadow, New York, he was educated at the University of Massachusetts, where he was one of the scoring and rebounding leaders on the basketball team. In 1971 he left school to join the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Erving soon became the league's biggest star. In 1973 he was traded to the New Jersey Nets, a team he led to ABA championship titles in 1974 and 1976.

In 1976 Erving became a member of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). That season he was an NBA All-Star for the first of 11 consecutive seasons (1977-1987). He was named the NBA's most valuable player in 1981, and he led the 76ers to an NBA championship title in 1983. Erving retired after the 1986-87 season, later becoming a business executive and television basketball broadcaster. In 1993 Erving was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was named to the NBA’s list of the 50 greatest players in league history. A year later he joined the Orlando Magic as the franchise’s executive vice president.