Philadelphia 76ers: 25 Best Players To Play For The 76ers
By Phil Watson
93. <strong>How acquired:</strong> Purchased contract from New York Nets, Oct. 20, 1976.. SF. . Julius Erving. 3. player
The excitement over the arrival of ABA superstar Julius Erving to the NBA in the fall of 1976 was enormous and that was before the shocking sale of Erving’s contract to the Philadelphia 76ers from the New York Nets just two days before the start of the season in October 1976.
Erving delivered everything that was hoped for and then some.
The NBA MVP in 1980-81, Erving was an All-Star in each of his 11 seasons with the 76ers, winning All-Star Game MVP honors in 1977 and 1983, and was a seven-time All-NBA pick, as well.
He was second in the MVP voting in 1979-80, third in 1981-82 and fifth in both 1976-77 and 1982-83.
Erving was fourth in the NBA in scoring in 1979-80 and fifth in 1981-82.
In the 1977 NBA Finals, Erving averaged 30.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, five assists, 2.7 steals and 1.2 blocks in 41.3 minutes per game, shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and 85.7 percent at the line in a six-game loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Back in the Finals in 1980, he averaged 25.5 points, seven rebounds, five assists, 2.3 blocks and two steals in 40.7 minutes a game on .522/1-for-4/.708 shooting in a six-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the 1982 NBA Finals, Erving put up a stat line of 25 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in 38.3 minutes per game, shooting .543/0-for-2/.720 as the Lakers won the series in six games.
He played a smaller role in 1983, averaging 19 points, 8.5 rebounds, five assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in 38.3 minutes a game on .469/—/.800 shooting as the 76ers beat Los Angeles in a four-game sweep.
Erving retired after the 1986-87 season.
In 11 seasons in Philadelphia, he averaged 22 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks in 34.3 minutes per game, shooting 507/.261/.777.
He signed with the ABA’s Virginia Squires in April 1971 out of Massachusetts and was later drafted 12th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1972 NBA Draft, though he never played for them.
Erving created some controversy in April 1972, signing with the Atlanta Hawks, but the contract was voided and the Hawks were penalized two second-round picks and $250,000 for the illegal signing.
He was traded to the Nets with Willie Sojourner in August 1973 in exchange for George Carter, the rights to draft pick Kermit Washington and cash.
A three-time ABA MVP, Erving helped the Nets to ABA titles in 1974 and 1976.
He was 23rd in ABA history with 16,550 minutes played, 11th with 4,924 rebounds, 15th with 1,952 assists, second with 764 steals and an average of 28.7 points per game, fourth with 648 blocked shots and an average of two blocks per game, fifth with 11,662 points and an average of 12.1 rebounds per game, 17th with a field-goal percentage of .504, third with averages of 40.7 minutes and 2.4 steals per game and 10th with an average of 4.8 assists a game.
Erving is 42nd in NBA history with 1,508 steals, 46th with 1,293 blocked shots, 30th with an average of 22.0 points per game and 31st with an average of 1.8 steals per game.
He was named to the NBA’s 35th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1981, the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and the ABA All-Time Team in 1997 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
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