The Philadelphia 76ers are set to honor Julius Erving on Tuesday. According to a report from the Associated Press, the team will unveil a sculpture in his likeness during a tribute ceremony at their practice facility in New Jersey.
It will be the sixth sculpture installed on “76ers Legends Walk.” It will join statues of other team greats, including Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Cunningham.
In many ways, “Dr. J,” as Erving came to be known, revolutionized the game of basketball with his style of play. To be frank, this is a man who lived “above the rim,” as they say. In fact, his high-flying dunks are still copied to this day.
Erving, now 68 years of age, won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets, then later with the Sixers in the NBA. The 11-time All-Star played in 1,243 games over the course of his career (NBA and ABA), averaging 24.2 points on 50.6 percent shooting from the field, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 36.4 minutes per game.
Erving, who is recognized as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, already has his No. 6 jersey hanging in the rafters inside the Wells Fargo Center. And just for the record, the Nets have retired his No. 32 jersey, making him one of the few players to have his number retired by two teams.
With his ABA and NBA numbers combined, Erving racked up over 30,000 points, which is good for eighth on the all-time list. Continuing the ABA/NBA combined trend, Erving ranks seventh on the all-time steals list with 2,272.
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