The 5 most iconic hairstyles in the history of the NBA

2. The Dr. J

Going right back to the classics, and no list would be complete without the inclusion of Julius Erving. The great “Dr. J” being the predecessor to Jordan, with his high-flying abilities trademarked not by a tongue sticking out or a pose that made Jordan a billionaire, but rather his trademark afro that captured the style of the time so perfectly.

We may be cheating a bit because Erving spent considerable time in the ABA, but by the time he got to the NBA, he still had his famous fro intact. Like the others on this list, it too captures the feel of the time. Only this time, it is one of 70s slickness and groove.

That style may be long gone, but it still influences today. Guys like Jarrett Allen, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, may not be paying tribute to Erving with his hairstyle, but it is the first thing you think of when you see him attack the basket and fly through the air. That in itself shows how iconic Erving’s hair was, that anybody else with an afro instantly reminds you of him.

Erving had a chance to do something that nobody else could have on this list, and give the hairstyle new life as he got older, but he instead elected to shorten his hair (or else it simply stopped growing as long. Again, I haven’t asked him). But can you imagine if he’d kept the length once he went grey? Now that would have been an iconic look.

Another reason this ranks so highly is that it’s the style of the decade. Of the moment. Willis Reed was kind of getting there with what he had going on. Oscar Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar had a bit of pomp and verve to what they had going on up top for a minute there as well. But nobody’s went as high, as out there, as Erving’s.