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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

ByHans Themistode|
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Julius Erving
Julius Erving (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 8. Julius Erving

Before there was Michael Jordan, there was Julius Erving.

There was nothing quite like Erving when he played in the ABA. He soared through the air, waited about 15 minutes, made a few calls, checked his email, and after he was done doing all of that, he’d remember that he was in the middle of a basketball game and would flush it down.

During his time there, Erving led the league in scoring on three separate occasions and won two titles. Yet, by the time he arrived in the NBA in 1976, he wasn’t as prolific and struggled to get the Philadelphia 76ers over the championship hump.

Erving appeared to be destined to join his fellow great players who failed to win it all in the NBA. However, for the first time in possibly his entire ball-playing career, Erving went from the center of attention to second fiddle.

From 1983-86, Moses Malone was the unquestioned best player on the 76ers. The Hall of Fame big man took home league MVP honors in 1983 as well as Finals MVP in that same year. For the next four seasons, while a teammate of Malone, Erving went on to average 20.4 points per game. His numbers would ultimately drop in the playoffs, falling to 17.8 during those four years. Simply put, Erving wasn’t that guy anymore.