Julius Erving : “Dr. J”

Published on October 30, 2025 5 min. reading

The ABA and NBA career of the Doctor

Born on 22 February 1950 in Hempstead, Long Island, Julius Erving grew up in modest circumstances. His father left the family when he was three years old; his mother raised her three children alone, working as a cleaning lady. The young Julius found his escape in the playgrounds of New York: basketball became his language, his future.

At Roosevelt High School, he was already dominating the court. It was there that he earned his nickname, ‘The Doctor,’ later shortened to Dr. J. Why ‘The Doctor’? It was a nickname that his friend Leon Saunders gave him in high school. The nickname stuck because his playing style embodied it: precise, calm, surgical. His performances attracted college recruiters, but Erving chose the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Between 1968 and 1971, he established himself as a phenomenon: averaging over 26 points and 20 rebounds per game, a feat that only five players have achieved in NCAA history.

In 1971, he left university to join the Virginia Squires in the ABA (American Basketball Association). From the outset, his aerial play took the league by storm. Two years later, he joined the New York Nets, leading them to two consecutive ABA titles. His influence was such that he became the face of the league and contributed to its merger with the NBA.

In 1976, the ABA–NBA merger marked a turning point: Erving was transferred to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he would play for eleven seasons. His arrival electrified the NBA: a new style, a new audience, a new era. In 1983, he won the NBA championship alongside Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks, concluding the best season in Sixers history and one of the most dominant titles in history: 12 wins and 1 loss, a veritable steamroller.

When he retired in 1987, Dr. J had played 1,243 professional games, scored over 30,000 points, and forever changed the way basketball was played and watched.

His impact on the NBA

When Julius Erving arrived in the NBA in 1976, he didn’t arrive as a rookie: he arrived as a revolution. Nicknamed ‘Dr. J’ since his high school days — a nickname born from a joke among friends — he arrived in Philadelphia with a star aura and a style of play that the league had never seen before.

At that time, the NBA was suffering from an ageing image, weighed down by scandals and a game that was often considered slow. Erving changed everything. With his spectacular leaps, aerial dunks and magnetic presence, he attracted a new audience and transformed basketball into a global spectacle. His acrobatic dunks, notably the famous Baseline Move in the 1980 Finals against the Lakers, left a lasting impression: basketball became spectacular, a show, a moment of pure emotion.

But his impact went beyond the court. Dr J bridged two eras and ushered in a new era for basketball, where creativity and efficiency came together in the most legendary face-off in history: Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird. From Michael Jordan to Dominique Wilkins, then Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the Doctor left his mark on the big league with his agility, scoring ability and dunking skills. If the NBA is such a spectacle today, it is partly because the Doctor was there.

And Dr. J wasn’t just a spectacular player: he was a cultural icon, an ambassador for sport. Off the court, he championed hard work, discipline, education and elegance. As Sports Illustrated summed it up, he was ‘a moral hero, a role model who elevated both the game and society’.

Julius Erving’s playing style: Aerial, aesthetic and precise

Before discussing his style, we are talking about one of the greatest talents in the league, both defensively and offensively, with four MVP titles, three in the ABA and one in the NBA, 16 All-Star appearances, and an impressive career statistics line: 24.5 points / 8 rebounds / 4 assists

His style was based on a rare combination :

elegance of movement,
athletic power,
and constant creativity in the finish.

His dunks were his language. They weren’t just spectacular: they told a story — one of daring, freedom and confidence. His famous Baseline Move in the 1980 NBA Finals, a reverse slam dunk behind the backboard against the Lakers, remains one of the most legendary moves in basketball history.

But Dr. J was much more than just a dunker. He had an exceptional vision of the game, knew how to create opportunities for his teammates, defend hard, and rebound with extraordinary intensity. At UMass, he was already one of the best rebounders in the country; in the ABA and then the NBA, he remained a complete player: scorer, passer, leader.

His game was also about control and discipline: despite the spectacle, nothing was improvised. Every dribble, every move, every step was controlled, almost choreographed. Where others forced contact, the Doctor flew above the chaos.