The 6-foot-7, pound small forward also played for 11 years with the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to the NBA crown in He starred for Roosevelt High School, earning a reputation as a fundamentally sound but not spectacular player. He enrolled at the University of Massachusetts in , and although he averaged Professional basketball was extremely volatile in , the year Erving launched his brilliant career. The ABA and NBA were already talking about a merger, players were jumping from league to league and franchises were in flux.
He later said he realized he was in his element during his first game as a rookie. He scored Virginia finished , second place in the Eastern Division behind the powerful Colonels, who dominated the league at In the playoffs, Erving scored However, during this time players were playing musical teams and Erving was no exception.
Rather than attempt to play for the Bucks, he attempted to jump to the Atlanta Hawks before the season. A court order eventually forced his return to Virginia four games into the ABA campaign. He went on to lead the ABA in scoring that season, pouring in a career-best Word began to spread of his exciting, innovative style of play and he received the first of four consecutive All-ABA First Team selections.
Erving began to realize, along with everybody else, that he was something special. But after I became a pro, after my second year in Virginia, I thought that there was a possibility that I could offer something unique. Erving was gaining recognition in the ABA, but he was still hampered by the fact that the Squires were a low-profile team in a small market. Once there, the Nets dropped the Stars in five games for the crown.
Erving repeated as league scoring champ with an average of His all-around game began to emerge as well: he ranked sixth in the league in assists and third in both steals and blocked shots.
The ABA had plenty of good players, but Erving stood out as the essence of the league. He dominated the game from the small forward spot.
But more than that, he took some of the things Connie Hawkins had done in flashes — such as swooping dunks — and made them an every-night occurrence. He was always doing something new: inventing, soloing, extemporizing. He was the first to combine extended hangtime with delicate grace and pure power. By , a handful of ABA teams had folded or were struggling to meet payroll demands and the league was consolidated into one division for its final, tumultuous season.
Nevertheless, the ABA went out with flair. At midseason, the folks who had introduced the red, white and blue ball and the 3-point shot unveiled the first All-Star Game Slam-Dunk Championship. Erving outjammed Gilmore, Kenon, George Gervin and David Thompson for the title with an iconic dunk from the free-throw line. In the postseason, Erving averaged In Philly, Erving quickly helped transform the team into a perennial winner.
During the season, the 76ers buzzed through the playoffs to reach the NBA Finals, where the team fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. While L. The play subsequently came to be known as the "Baseline Move. I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out or should we ask him to do it again? The following season, despite earning MVP honors, Erving did not have enough of a supporting cast to bring his team back to the championship round. In , after another heartbreaking loss in the Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, the 76ers retooled the club's lineup, trading for Houston Rocket Moses Malone, for the upcoming season.
For Erving and his teammates, the season proved nearly flawless. After finishing the regular season with a record, Philadelphia stormed through the playoffs, losing just once and finishing off the Lakers in the Finals with a four-game sweep. The next few years, however, were less successful. With an aging roster, Philadelphia, anchored by forward Charles Barkley, started to transition to a younger club. Following the season, Erving retired.
Since stepping away as a player, Erving has continued to stay close to the game. He has worked as a sports analyst for the NBC television network and as an executive for the Orlando Magic. He has also pursued many other business opportunities. Erving is the father of eight children. A small number may yet be unaccounted for but we're confident in the completeness of the list. Advanced Bold indicates league leader. Multiply by 2. Playoffs Series.
College Stats Light text indicates freshman team or JV participant ; underline indicates incomplete record. Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors. More Erving Pages. Full Site Menu Return to Top. In the News : L. James , K. Durant , J. Embiid , J. Harden , S. Curry , L. All-Time Greats : E. Hayes , J. Stockton , H. Olajuwon , W. Chamberlain , D. Schayes , J. Active Greats : L.
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