Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving is one of the faces of the franchise. An athletic marvel who would pull off some incredible feats on the floor as he earned the nickname “Dr. J” during his career.
Erving spent 11 seasons with the Sixers averaging 22.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks. He led the Sixers to the finals in 1982 and 1983–teaming up with Moses Malone to lead Philadelphia to its latest title–and is fourth in franchise history in points while being the franchise’s all-time leader in blocks.
HoopsHype put together a list of the top 20 small forwards in the history of the game and Erving comes in ranked fourth on the list:
He was 26 by the time he made his NBA debut after years in the ABA, so Julius Erving would rank far higher in the statistical categories had he spent his whole career in the Association. Erving was the most spectacular player at the time thanks to his unreal athleticism and ability to fly down the floor in transition to hammer in dunks… and he was a winner, too. Often considered Jordan before Jordan (just without a jumper), Erving was an All-Star every season he played (ABA or NBA).
The only small forwards ranked ahead of Erving were Kevin Durant (3), Larry Bird (2), and LeBron James (1). Either way, the good Doctor stamped his name as one of the best players the game has ever seen and his iconic No. 6 hangs from the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center.