So much has been written and said about the NBA era of
Magic, Bird and Jordan, often described as the heyday of the league, a
marketers dream for promoting the sport to lofty new heights. What is often
overlooked is the man who almost singlehandedly changed the game from being one
of bump and grind big men and hot shot artists on the perimeter to one of high flying
vertical action. Julius Winfield Erving, better known to all a Dr. J was that
game changer.
In his new autobiography; Dr. J: The Autobiography Erving looks back with great fondness at
not only his career on the hardwood, but his meteoric rise to being a first
round draft pick, his time as the face of the upstart American Basketball
Association (ABA) where he won multiple championships and was the league’s
dominant force and MVP.
What sets this amazing autobiography apart from so many
others is the pride Erving takes in his amazing career on the court and his
continued success after basketball. He is almost wholly unique based on the
fact that he professes that his success is at least in part due to the
opportunity that is presented by being born in the United States; a confession
of sorts that is sure to chafe many African American race pimps who blame the
U.S. for somehow holding them back. Erving is equally unique in that he chooses
not to blame others for any problems he’s has been confronted with; taking
personal responsibility for his faults and his successes. In short, Dr. J did
build that!
Dr. J is clearly a man of honesty, integrity and class,
something that is in short supply in this country and in notably in the sports
world. It is those attributes that shine through and make this one of the best
sports biographies to ever hit the shelves. Truly a winning effort from a man
who has made a career of being a winner and who truly has left a lasting impact
not only on the sport, but on those he has crossed paths with.
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