They still recall his impossible baseline move against fellow legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1980 Finals, and the oft-replayed rock-the-baby dunk, also against the Lakers, during the ’82-83 regular season.Īs it happens, somebody compelled a boy of about 5 to ask Erving about the latter play that night in Lancaster. But those of a certain age will always find Erving irresistible. The first worker responded with the slightest of shrugs, a reflection of the generational divide both guys appeared to be in their 20s. At one point two male hotel workers watched from across the room as The Doctor made his way to the bar to order a glass of red wine. ![]() And why he was greeted so warmly in Lancaster. That, above and beyond his spectacular play, is why in his final season he was accorded a farewell tour of the league and a parade through the streets of Philadelphia. When he played, no autograph request seemed too bothersome, no interview seemed too tiresome and no hanger-on seemed too loathsome. But the truth is, he has always been this way. A cynic might suggest that that’s easy to do when you’re commanding at least $30,000 per public appearance, as Erving is. That night in Lancaster - a city in which the Sixers held training camp for most of his time with the team - he was a picture of decorum. And tragically, one of his sons, Cory, drowned after accidentally driving his car into a retention pond in Orlando, Fla., in 2000.īut if any of that weighs on him, he hides it well. There was also speculation he was in financial trouble ( which he has denied) when in 2011 he auctioned off much of his memorabilia, including the championship ring he won in 1982-83 with the Sixers, for $3.5 million. His marriage to his first wife, Turquoise, ended in divorce after nearly 29 years in 2003, in the wake of his infidelity (and according to his 2013 autobiography, physical confrontations between the two of them). Understand that Erving’s life has not been without its rough patches since his 16-year playing career ended in 1987. The fan might as well have been speaking for the group. “You made my day,” one guy, wearing a ballcap that identified him as a Navy veteran, told Erving after they posed together. Sat there for a while, in fact, before continuing to make the rounds. “We’ve got a seat here, if you need one,” one man yelled to him from his table near the buffet.Īnd once Erving filled his plate he did indeed come over and sit with the guy and his two companions. As he swept through the room, dressed all in black, he shook every hand, posed for every photo, made everybody feel as though they were the VIPs their upsold ticket said they were. J is still trim, and still possesses the same hi-how-ya-doin’ grace he always has. (Same for the shorter ’do he wore throughout most of his 11 years with the Sixers). ![]() On a recent Monday night in Lancaster, Pa., Julius Erving breezed into the banquet room of a large downtown hotel to greet the fans who had gathered to meet with him, before a presentation later that night.Įrving, 72, has been gray for a while now the Afro of his ABA heyday is a distant memory.
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