Julius Erving picked his best leapers ever: “I could accept getting posterized by one of those three guys”
Julius Erving picked his best leapers ever: “I could accept getting posterized by one of those three guys”
Julius Erving picked his best leapers ever: “I could accept getting posterized by one of those three guys”
The list, according to Dr. J, includes guys who could also make their leaps interesting.
Julius Erving is one of the best high-flyers the NBA has ever seen. However, the Hall of Famer didn’t include himself on his list of the Top 3 leapers in the league’s history.
“David Thompson, Dominique, and Vince, they’re kind of in a class by themselves in terms of leaping and making the leaps very interesting because they could finish,” Erving said on “The B.S. Report.”
Julius’ argument isn’t solely based on who could’ve jumped the highest. Dr. J also looked at flashiness and who was the best at utilizing their leaping ability.
“Like if I was gonna get posterized by somebody, I could accept getting posterized by one of those three guys. Other guys — I’d be a little upset because I’m a shot blocker,” Julius added.
Getting dunked on by Hakeem
Erving was an elite shot blocker. As a 6’7″ forward, he averaged 1.7 blocks over his 16-year ABA/NBA career, constantly being in the Top 10 in that category.
Still, challenging shots at the rim meant Julius would sometimes end up on the wrong side of highlight plays. But the Philadelphia 76ers legend never cared about that.
As a shot blocker, you’re gonna get dunked on,” Dr.J explained. “So I got dunked on by a lot of people, but I blocked a lot of shots.”
As far as who had the craziest dunk on the Hall of Famer, Erving singled out a poster by Hakeem Olajuwon, which came after a bad foul call on “The Dream’s” dunk attempt a few possessions prior.
“I think I’ve purged it from my memory. Maybe Olajuwon — he caught me one time. I actually blocked his shot, and they called a foul. But he knew it was a clean block. So the next time, he came with a little ‘Moses Malone Mo Better,’ and I was like, ‘I need to get out of the way,'” Julius concluded.
The former Sixers legend didn’t get out of the way, resulting in an embarrassing sequence for one of the best high-flyers in NBA history. But Erving could live with that. Had it been one of the guys from his Top 3 list of the best leapers ever, dealing with it would’ve been much harder for “The Doctor.”
Erving’s skills vowed his peers
For all his shot-blocking prowess, Dr. J was best known for his ability to fly through the air. The Hall of Famer paved the way for all the legendary dunkers that succeeded him, revolutionizing the game with his never-before-seen throwdowns.
Julius left his peers in awe with his skill set on the court. Bill Walton wasn’t immune to that. In fact, “Big Red” admitted to being mesmerized when watching the iconic forward in action.
“While Kareem was the greatest player I ever played against, Larry was the greatest player I ever played with, Dr. J was the single most vibrant, exhilarating, and exciting player that I ever saw… up close first hand,” Walton said on “The Icons Club.” “He had calmness and that majestic level of, ‘I’m Dr. J, and nobody else is. I’m coming through you to throw it down.'”
Erving turned the slam dunk into an art form. Despite not claiming credit for it himself, those acknowledged as the greatest leapers in NBA history — Thompson, Wilkins, and Carter — would all attest that the Sixers legend pioneered the most exciting play on the basketball court.
Julius Erving said Kareem was the best player he ever played against: “I would probably pick him as an ideal teammate”
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