![]() J” on the back of his uniform now he's only “Erving.”) And the Philadelphia 76ers, who were favored to win the National Basketball Association championship with ease, stumbled clumsily along in the early season, barely holding onto first place in their division. His name is conspicuously absent from the records of the game's statistical leaders. Surrounded by the highest‐priced talent in the league, Julius Erving has become an almost anonymous and at times confused player. Fans are flocking in record numbers to see him operate but they often have to refer to their programs to find out who he is and what he's doing. After a tor turous contract dispute, he was sold to Philadelphia for $3 million. I have to say enjoy watching him, because each time he goes to the basket, I may be seeing something I'll never see again.”īut now Erving is no longer a New York Net, and there is no more A.B.A. “You know he's going to the basket, but you just don't know how. “I tried everything,” said Bobby Jones, the league's best defensive player, who had tried and failed to cover Erving. For the entire series, he led both teams in every important statistic. ![]() He scored 31 points, took 19 rebounds, assisted on five baskets, blocked four shots and stole the ball five shots and stole the ball five times. J‐or, more properly, Julius Erving, whose nickname is meant to connote the skillful way he operates on the court‐put on his red‐white‐and‐blue New York Nets uniform, tightened his knee brace and proceeded to dissect the heavily favored Denver team and lead the Nets to the American Basketball Association championship. “If he isn't the best,” says Denver's Willie Wise, offering a widely shared view, “then I'm in for a treat.” An adversary in Denver, David Thompson, says he has often had to remind himself to stop gaping in admiration and concentrate on his own game instead, and another opponent says he has had nightmares of the Doctor charging at him in his sleep. J once made a shot in a pro basketball game in Houston that so stunned his own teammates that they stopped dead and watched it in the instant replay on the scoreboard. I can coordinate and I can cross all the things.Dr. I had a personality and I had a business mindset. J was one of the guys that I idolize from a business side of things and I wanted to take that same path and show that I was more than just a basketball player. Learn while you’re basically in school, so you’re learning the business of basketball.” I knew of his basketball and his creativity but the business acumen that he had was unbelievable. MJ would focus on how great of a business man he really was and how he learnt from the Icon.Īlso read: “Michael Jordan really hit a leaning windmill and then dropped 54 points”: Magic Johnson’s charity game saw the Bulls legend show up and show out On episode two of ‘ The Icons Club’, a couple soundbites of Michael Jordan praising Erving were played. Michael Jordan commends Julius Erving for his business savvy mind.Įverything from signing an official shoe deal with Converse that paid him $20,000 a year (quite a solid deal for half a century ago) to having his own video game that he received royalties on, Julius Erving knew exactly how to profit off his own likeness. Jordan admitted to picking up a few tricks of the trade from Erving himself when he first realized he could heavily benefit, financially, off his likeness. However, when you thought about guys who made their bank on aerial battle, Julius Erving in the 70s and Michael Jordan in the 80s came to mind.Īlso read: “Michael Jordan drank beer all afternoon and dropped 52 points on Cleveland”: Hockey great, Jeremy Roenick, details his wild afternoon of golfing and drinking with the Bulls legendĪnother similarity between MJ and Dr.J was one they shared off the court: their knack for being successful businessmen. ![]() Well, the similarities end at the dunks in all honesty as Erving never really developed a mid-range game that was close to being as lethal as Michael’s. A layman could tell by a simple eye-test that there were clear similarities between Jordan’s game and ‘The Doctor’s’. Walter Davis and David Thompson were a few of these men but Julius Erving was certainly on this list of his as well. There were very few people Michael Jordan looked up to in the sporting world. Michael Jordan gushed about just how good Julius Erving was from a business side of things as that’s what he took away from him. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |