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Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

By Josh Cornelissen

Kobe Bryant (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers. Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images /

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 18 – Julius Erving

On NBA 50 at 50 List

Career: 1976 – 1987

Achievements: 1983 NBA champion; two-time ABA champion; four-time MVP (ABA 3x, NBA 1x); All-NBA/ABA (12x); All-Star (16x); All-Defense (1x); eighth in career scoring; eighth in career steals

Julius Erving is the first of our ABA (American Basketball Association) players, those who spent part of their career in the NBA’s 1970s competitor. “Dr. J” dominated the ABA before he was sent to the NBA for a few pennies. Once on the Philadelphia 76ers, he continued to put up huge stats and helped the franchise win the 1983 title, sneaking between the crazy run of titles by the Lakers and Celtics in the 1980s.

Erving’s tomahawk slam dunk was iconic, both because of his display in the Dunk Contest but also when he unleashed it on defenders during live games. He was one of the best athletes of all time, and he could positively hang in the air before scoring on you.

16 times Erving was an All-Star in either the ABA or the NBA, out of…16 seasons in the league. He was a major driving force in the ABA becoming successful enough to force a merger, winning three MVPs and two titles in five seasons in the ABA.