Hall of Famer and former Sixers talent Julius Erving would always be known for his high-flying dunks and creative attacks around the rim. Even so, the multi-titled All-Star boldly states that his era's greatest basketball accomplishment was when his Philadephia 76ers swept powerhouses Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics.

In an interview with The Athletic's Rick Hofmann, Dr. J said that the memory of him beating the Lakers and the Celtics was truly an achievement of greatness.

For Erving, was his first NBA title made sweeter coming against a Lakers team that had denied him twice before in the NBA Finals? You bet.

“Sweeping the Lakers or sweeping the Celtics are kind of like ultimate tests and ultimate accomplishments in basketball in terms of that era,” Erving told The Athletic. “To not just sweep any team, a lot of teams were very sweepable. But the Lakers or the Celtics, if you can sweep them, I mean, that means you really beat their ass. And they can’t say anything about it, they got to come in and congratulate you and then say ‘You guys are just better than us this year.’”

They did just that. In the Sixers’ locker room after the game, Lakers coach Pat Riley remarked, “Dr. J. cleaned the skeletons out of his closet.” Riley’s tone after being swept, full of genuine appreciation, does a pretty good job of illustrating how highly respected Erving was around the NBA. There were still some detractors, though.

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The 1981 NBA Most Valuable Player was one of the most celebrated players of his era, arguably ranking behind rivals Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers would deny him of the Larry O'Brien trophy year after year until he finally beat the odds in 1983.

Ervin would team up with point guard Maurice Cheeks and center Moses Malone to sweep the Lakers in a convincing fashion to capture the 1983 NBA Championship. The 6-foot-7 small forward normed brilliant averages of 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists, making him one of the greatest multi-dimensional players that the league has seen.