YouTube Gold: The ABA’s Dr. J

TL;DR

Julius Erving, known as Dr. J, faced limitations in his early career due to rules preventing him from dunking. His extraordinary play in the ABA, particularly with the New York Nets, helped drive the league's merger with the NBA.

Key points

Julius Erving could not dunk during his college career
He faced contractual issues before joining the ABA
Erving played for the Virginia Squires and New York Nets
His play drove the ABA-NBA merger
Erving is recognized as a basketball visionary

ABANBAJulius ErvingNew York Nets

DENVER, CO - 1976: Julius Erving #32 of the New York Nets grabs the rebound against the Denver Nuggets circa 1976 at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1976 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images When Julius Erving was at UMass, his game was seriously limited by the rules of the day. His number one frustration was that he could not dunk. It took him a while to sort out who he would play for professionally, largely because of some contractual issues, which we’re not going to get into here, but consider this: he nearly ended up playing with Milwaukee, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson were still Bucks. That would have been incredible. He also nearly joined the Atlanta Hawks, where he would have teamed up with Pete Maravich, which would have sold tickets across the league. When the issues were hammered out, he had to play in the ABA, first with the Virginia Squires, and then with the New York Nets. And while there was no TV contract for the ABA, Erving’s play was so off the charts that everyone around the country understood something extraordinary was happening. Everyone knew. The highlights occasionally made it onto sports news, but there was no cable or anything like that. It was strictly word of mouth. However, the awareness of greatness in New York was so insistent that it crept into pop culture and ultimately drove the ABA-NBA merger. just killing it. He’s been somewhat pushed down the list of greats, which is not right, because the guy was clearly special. He built on what Connie Hawkins did, but took it further: Erving was a basketball visionary, and we see the fruits of his vision every night when a game is played. Every exultant dunk is a tribute. * to find Blue Healer Auctions* || **

Q&A

What were Julius Erving's early career challenges in basketball?

Julius Erving faced limitations due to rules that prevented him from dunking during his time at UMass.

Which teams did Julius Erving almost play for before joining the ABA?

He nearly played for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks before ultimately joining the ABA.

How did Julius Erving influence the ABA-NBA merger?

Erving's extraordinary play and growing popularity in New York contributed significantly to the awareness and eventual merger of the ABA and NBA.