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Dr. j
By: Blossom Lumba

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Julius Erving, the great and often called "Dr. J," was the leading player of his generation. His charisma was so strong that he was able to modernize the way the game was played. He was a professional with the ball, doing tricks never before seen: midair spins and whirls followed by powerful slam dunks. Erving was one of the first players to make unprepared individual expression an important part of the game, setting the style of play that would exist in the decades to follow. A polite, noble, and disciplined man, Erving was an ideal representative for the game of basketball. He was the epitome of class, and no player was more respected. I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity, Erving said. Julius Winfield Erving II was born on February 22, 1950 in Hemstead, New York. He went to high school in Roosevelt and attended college in Massachusetts. His position is basketball was a small forward and a shooting guard. Erving has two siblings and often looked at his mom for inspiration. Erving was the middle child born to Julius and Callie Mae Erving. His father abandoned the family when Julius was three years old, leaving his mother to raise three children on her own while working as a house cleaner. I came from a broken home, so my mom was a major influence in my life, Erving admitted. The family lived in a housing project in Hempstead, Long Island, along with other unfortunate families. Julius was a quiet, respectful child, and at times his family was concerned that he was maybe too reserved.

However, in school, he was a bright student who liked to write and narrate poetry. He was first fascinated to basketball at about the age of nine and began spending his free time practicing at a park and soon, it was his goal to become a basketball star. Goals determine what you're going to be, Erving would say. When he was ten, Erving joined the local Salvation Army team, bringing it to a 27-3 season. The next year, his team was 31-1 and went on to win the Inter-County Basketball Association tournament. Erving began his professional career in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets. Because Erving was often regarded as the best basketball player of his time, he is often considered to have been the main reason for the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. A great basketball player in high school, Erving played for the University of Massachusetts in 1968. There, he played on the schools varsity team for two seasons, making about more than 26 points and 20 rebounds per game. In 1971, Erving left college to play for the Virginia Squires, a team in the American Basketball Association league. With the Squires, he scored more than 27 points per game in his first season. But it was the move to the New York Nets in 1973 that permitted Erving to really shine. He helped the team win the ABA championships in 1974 and 1976. Later in 1976, Erving switched leagues, moving to the National Basketball Association to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. In his eleven seasons with the team, he helped them win the 1983 NBA championship. At the time of his retirement in 1987, he had played in more than 800 games, scoring about 22 points per game in the NBA. His scoring total reached more than 30,000 points during both ABA and NBA careers.

Accomplishments:

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I had to spend countless hours, above and beyond the basic time, to try and perfect the fundamentals. Julius Erving

In 1974 to 1976 Erving won ABA Most Valuable Player and ABA championship He also received an ABA co-Most Valuable Player award in 1975. He was named 1977 and1983s All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, 1981s NBA Most Valuable Player, 1985s American Express Man of the Year, 1993s Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and 1996s NBA 50th Anniversary Team. In 1983, he wins NBA championship with the 76ers, named to NBA 35th Anniversary Team, Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship Award, Jackie Robinson Award from Ebony Magazine

Ervings other accomplishments:

As well as being a star on the basketball court, Julius Erving appeared in a few movies and television series. One movie he starred in was 1979s The Fish that Saved Pittsburg. He also appeared in 1993s Philadelphia, 2004s Skywalker: The David Thompson Story, and many more.

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If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end. Julius Erving

Julius Erving was a legend, an inspiration, and has a great deal of charisma. He modernized and did a lot of basketball tricks that the decades after followed. Throughout all the obstacles and situation Erving has been through, he still managed to get back up on his feet and follow his goals. Hes an inspiration to many and accomplished many things.

Credits:
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/erv0int-1 http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/ervinju01.html http://www.nba.com/history/players/erving_bio.html http://www.answers.com/topic/julius-erving http://www.biography.com/people/julius-erving-9288521 http://netsarescorching.com/tag/julius-erving/ http://imdb.com/juliuserving http://sports.jrank.org/pages/1335/Erving-Julius-Awards-Accomplishments.html http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/julius_erving_2.html http://www.quoteland.com/author/Julius-Erving-Quotes/4371/ Microsoft Office 2007 www.scribd.com