Way before superteams as we know them were formed in the NBA today, the idea of it was already conceptualized back the 1970s. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson playing together for the Milwaukee Bucks, their former general manager, Wayne Embry, recalled when he lobbied to their front office to draft a very athletic player to be the third piece to their plans of having a triumvirate that would’ve reigned supreme in the league that time.
That player was Julius Erving, who became a star during his playing days with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was targeted by the Bucks to form arguably the greatest trio of teammates ever, but their plan did not come into fruition due to some issues, according to Gery Woelfel of Woelfel Press Box.
When Embry was the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks in the early ’70s, he lobbied the team’s hierarchy to draft an insanely athletic player from the East Coast. That was Julius Erving, aka Dr. J.
If not for some legal issues and some behind-the-scenes shenanigans, Erving would have joined the Bucks and, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, formed perhaps the greatest triumvirate of players ever assembled.
Another reason why the plan did not push through was Erving’s unwillingness to join the Bucks, as he was not open to becoming only a third option in a team. He was a highly-touted prospect heading to the draft, and he knew his stock will take a hit behind Abdul-Jabbar and Robertson.
“From what I understand, the reason why he didn’t want to come to Milwaukee was because he didn’t want to be the third wheel behind Oscar (Robertson) and Abdul-Jabbar. That’s what he said later on. He wanted to be his own man and have his own team. We also had (Bob) Dandridge on our team and he was a very good player, too. (a five-time All-Star).
As it turned out, all three players became NBA legends. Abdul-Jabbar is the league’s all-time leader in points scored, while Robertson made a name for himself as one of the best all-around players ever, mastering the art of the triple-double during his playing days. Erving on the other hand revolutionized dunking, as he rose to prominence together with his high-flying and acrobatic ways.
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