Tag: Julius Erving

Erving knows Irving — if not well, …

Erving knows Irving — if not well, certainly enough to have taken on a role as a mentor or extended fatherly figure. “I’ve seen him from the beginning,” Erving said. “A couple occasions I’ve been in the same room, chatted a little bit. But like Kobe Bryant situation, he’s another generation, or in some cases multiple generations removed from me in terms of my playing days. I’m more of a father figure or even a grandfather figure to those guys who are playing now. And I accept that. I looked at Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain in that regard. These are the giants of the game. I made it my mission to chase that bar. It’s very high.”

We talked to Dr. J — who was in the …

We talked to Dr. J — who was in the building for the dunk contest — at Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C. on Monday … and we asked the hoops legend if the Orlando Magic star was robbed by the judges in Chi-town. “I don’t know if robbed is the right term, if it had ended in a tie, I don’t think anybody would’ve been upset. But, a contest like that going into basically 2 overtimes. Third overtime. You hate to have a loser.” BUT, forced to pick a winner, Dr. J — who won the inaugural ABA Dunk Contest in 1976 — says Gordon’s final dunk was justtttttttt a little better than Derrick Jones Jr.’s jam. “I think [Gordon’s] last dunk was cleaner. Neither one of them were 50’s because they had shot their load in terms of their best stuff.”

Fans will be able to bid on the plaques …

Fans will be able to bid on the plaques of Magic Johnson, Julius “Dr. J” Erving and ‘His Airness’ himself, Michael Jordan. Auction winners will get the 25-by-28-inch black-and-white portrait that was previously found on the Hall’s domed ceiling for every person inducted. Other portraits that can be bid on include Rick Barry, Bob Cousy, Patrick Ewing, Pete Maravich, Isiah Thomas, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West.

Kareem and Kobe are only players in NBA history named to more All-Star teams than LeBron

LeBron now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19x All-Star) and Kobe Bryant (18x All-Star) for most All-Star selections in NBA history. 

LeBron James led all players in All-Star voting while being named to his 16th NBA All-Star team. He joins a starting lineup in the Western Conference coached by Frank Vogel that features James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Luka Doncic and Lakers teammate Anthony Davis. LeBron now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19x All-Star) and Kobe Bryant (18x All-Star) for most All-Star selections in NBA history.

Kareem was first named to an NBA All-Star team in 1970. His final All-Star selection came in 1989. Kobe first became an All-Star in 1998 as a young Laker and was selected to his final All-Star team in 2016. LeBron, meanwhile, made his first All-Star appearance in 2005 and remained on that stage every year since.

For James to get 20 NBA All-Star selections and pass Kareem, he’d have to remain an All-Star for the next four seasons–through 2024. By moving into 3rd on this prestigious list, LeBron broke a tie with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett who each have been selected to 15 ASGs.

Outside of the NBA, Hall of Famer Julius Erving was named to the ABA All-Star team five times. If you combine that with his 11 NBA appearances, LeBron is now also tied with Dr. J for most professional All-Star selections of all-time in either professional basketball league.

Heading into the Lakers matchup with Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers in Philly on Saturday, LeBron is currently averaging 25.2 points, 10.8 assists and 7.7 rebounds. His team is 36-9 and 4.5 games up on the No. 2 Utah Jazz.

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Vince Carter’s Nets jersey should hang in the rafters of Barclays Center

Vince Carter has wowed fans with his dunks and other athletic feats throughout his storied career.

Vince Carter is going to be one of few players who has a legacy in which his lacking a championship will not be overly discussed.

After this season, Carter will have put on a show for 22 NBA seasons, which will give him the record of longest career in league history.  His nickname “Half Man, Half Amazing” might just be one of the most fitting nicknames in hoops history. Whether it was dunking over Frederic Weis in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, or wowing fans in his iconic 2000 Slam Dunk Contest performance, Carter has proven to be one of the most athletic players in NBA history.

Now, as he finishes his last season, he’s been praised by players such as Houston Rockets star James Harden. Carter got a standing ovation in December during his final game at Madison Square Garden.  On Sunday, he played his final game against the Brooklyn Nets, and he received a standing ovation.

Carter played for the Nets when they were in New Jersey, and as one of the franchise’s all-time best players, his jersey should hang in the rafters.

Despite not leading the team to any titles, Carter was one of the best hoopers of his generation.

After the Atlanta Hawks lost to the Nets on Sunday, Carter spoke on what it would feel like to have his jersey retired. Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Jason Kidd, Bill Melchionni, the late John Williamson, Buck Williams and the late Drazen Petrovic each have their Nets jersey retired.

“When you look up in the rafters and see the group of people that’s up there, if one day I get that opportunity, that honor, I’m OK with going up there with a guy who I looked up to in Dr. J and a great teammate like J-Kidd,” Carter said, per Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report. 

In five seasons with the Nets, Carter averaged 23.6 points per game, the highest among any of the teams he’s played for. According to Basketball Reference, Carter ranks third on the Nets’ all-time leading scorers list.

Carter, Kidd and Richard Jefferson were one of the most fun trios to watch in the mid 2000s. The group started playing together in the 2004-05 season, when Carter was traded to the team from the Toronto Raptors during the season.

With Kidd, the Nets had one of the best and smartest players ever as a floor general. As a fellow wing, Jefferson complemented Carter’s ability to score with his slashing ability. The group only made it as far as the Eastern Conference semifinals, but the three played exciting basketball.

Carter’s influence on the generation that followed is special. Nets star Kyrie Irving is evidence of that, as he spoke highly of Carter after Sunday’s game.

“That was a kid’s dream to go see Vince Carter and Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets play, but specifically Vince Carter,” Irving said, per Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily.  “He used to do some amazing things, man. It was incredible as a kid to watch.”

As one of the top scorers the league has seen, Carter is ranked No. 20 all-time in points, and currently he’s ranked fourth all-time in games played. A quality 3-point shooter throughout his career, he has shot 37.2% from deep.

In this day and age, hoops fans sometimes ring count. That is, sometimes a player’s legacy is tied too much to whether they won titles.

But Carter is different, and a big part of that is because his legacy consists of him being arguably the best dunker ever, along with his consistency. He averaged double figures in scoring from his rookie season in 1998 through the 2013-14 season.

Carter having his jersey potentially hanging in the rafters at Barclays Center would serve as a reminder of his greatness.

But unlike many other all-time greats, Carter won’t need any rings to prove how amazing he was.

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Sixers legend Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving has high praise for Ben Simmons

Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving has high praise for All-Star Ben Simmons.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are a talented group led by a very talented point guard in All-Star Ben Simmons. The 6-foot-10 point guard has shown a very impressive blend of scoring, distribution, rebounding, and defense and his play has the Sixers in position to contend for a title in the 2019-20 season.

One of the Sixers franchise legends, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, had some high praise for the young point guard as he has been impressed with his game.

Erving stated at the team’s Crossover art exhibit on Tuesday night:

I think Ben’s proven himself, he’s an All-Star now and he has lofty goals. I think it’s always a juggling act between individual excellence and winning the championship and I think after a few years in the league and seeing the celebration of others win the championship, you want the championship, whatever it takes.

Erving knows a thing or two of coming up short multiple times in his quest to win a championship. The Sixers reached the NBA Finals in both 1980 and 1982 and fell short both times before they finally broke through in 1983 with Philadelphia. Simmons and the current Sixers can take the same path and use their past failures to fuel them on this current run.

Erving also added on Simmons:

Sometimes that means sacrificing in some way. In his case, he probably doesn’t really have to sacrifice anything, he’s very adequate defensively, and he’s a guy you want to have the ball in his hands. The lack of shooting, long range jump shots, medium range jump shots, that might or might not happen, but his impact on the game, we’ve already seen examples of the impact that he can have.

Simmons has received criticism for his lack of a jumper and his reluctance to take a shot, but his impact on the floor in other areas really can make up for that hole in his game. In the end, he will eventually have to shoot a jumper for the Sixers to succeed, but right now he is in a good spot for the team and as an individual. [lawrence-related id=19630,19605,19597]