When I was 16, my mother wrote me a note to get out of school to see Erving play. She said I had a "doctor's appointment."

Dr J is a straight old school brotha. Classy, cool, confident and a lot of swagger. All walk, no talk.

He was the Jimi Hendrix of basketball. Nobody was cooler than Dr. J back then.

Dr. J brought us 90's style basketball in the 70's to be 20 yrs ahead of his time is LEGENDARY!!

Can't imagine how dope it would be to say you watched Dr. J live at Rucker Park. That is so dope. What an organic and incredible gathering of human beings. You love to see it. No money involved. Just pure love of a sport. A past time. Truly something special to just draw attention to that level like that.

Before kids wanted to be like Jordan, they wanted to be like Dr. J.

The way he spoke and carried himself was just as impressive as his game. Class can't be bought.

"I don't want to be 'The Claw'." Kawhi: It's free real estate.

They need to make a Dr J movie.

Met him and his wife (God rest her soul) when I was working a Janitor job while in high school at the Echelon Mall real early one Saturday morning hours before the mall was to open! They had access to the mall before anyone showed except the Store’s personnel! He took the time to acknowledge my existence in the world. Encouraged me to continue my education! To this day I believe that the words he spoke to me took my life in a completely different direction (for the better)! As great of an athlete he was he is by far an even greater man!

He did all that in Chucks?!!!! He'd crack a rib on the rim in some Jordans.

My personal favourite player of all time. Class, dignity, style and amazing talent. Dr. J may not be considered the GOAT however he showed those who followed how to become the GOAT.

Dr. J was one of the most Baddest Ballplayers on Earth. I grew up in Harlem and I remember Rucker Holcombe. God Continue to bless him and his Family.

I can honestly say ' I was there"! Went to U MASS when he did in the same dorm JFK. I was on the top floor (22nd) he was on either the 12th or 14th with my boy George Mumford (room mates) who came from the same neighborhood in Roxbury (Boston) as I did. Julius, George, brothers from the campus and from the team would go around neighborhoods in the state and kick ass. One time they played a game at Malcolm X Park in Roxbury and while they were trying to stop J, George laid 55 points on them. Al Skinner from the Nets and Pistons was there. He would later be the Basketball coach for Boston College. The basketball coach Pitino played with J at U MASS in the back court. George is the Psychologist for the Miami Heat and has worked with the Bulls with Jordon and Lakers when they had Shaq and Kobe. He allows teams to become winners wherever he goes even when he worked with BC when Skinner was their coach. Everything this video says was true. I still to this day tell people about the game I watched J play at Ruckers. Those days NBA guys could play there and there was no clap back. The bridge they talk about in the video I walked across to get to the park. I was coming from my peoples place in E Harlem (E 97th, 2nd and 3rd Aves. My girlfriend at the time told me he was playing at Ruckers and I still thank her for that. It was a beautiful summer day in NYC. It was a beautiful vista of people to the left, right and center of me and as they stated in the vid, people were on the roofs and bridge. People...I don't know how I did it but somehow I got to the front of that chain link fence. If my memory serves me well Bob Love forward for the Bulls played there that day too. This was the summer of 72' I believe. Regardless, it was a monumental image that will never escape me as long as I pay rent on this planet.

Dr J is my forever favorite player. I miss those days.

Amazing to see people sitting on the edges of the roof and in trees to see Dr. J! He's one of my all-time favorites and I had the pleasure to interview him a couple of times.

That’s insane the amount of people there. So sad there’s not enough footage of guys like him, Kareem and wilt

Dr J was the first player that made the NBA “ must see tv!”

I lived out my boyhood fantasies on the hardtop court of P.S. 132 in Queens, N.Y. imitating this legend and his signature "finger roll". "I got next" was the code word for declaring next man up in the epic one-on-one marathon battles where hard contact and expletives were the order of the day. Made me tough and gave me an edge for life!!!

Proud to see Dr J. play his during the last season in the NBA in Indianapolis! My favorite player of ALL TIME!

The impact of Dr.J on the game was phenomenal. For me, one of the all time greatest. 👍🏻🙏🏻

Dr.J was and will always be the man who changed basketball forever! His moves and his style are still what makes the sport so great today. We all knew we were witnessing greatness when we watched him play even in the ABA. As kids growing up in NJ he was all we talked about and the one we all mimicked when we played. Truly a revolutionary in the basketball world. We all wanted to be "The Dr."!!!

Dr. J! What a legend! Brought us an NBA championship here in Philadelphia in 83.

I fell in love with basketball just watching Doctor J playing. And I envy so much all those people who could just walk to Rucker Park in NY and watch him playing heavenly baskeball !

Those are some awesome pics of Dr. J with all the fans in the background. How lucky they all were to witness greatness.

Dr J brought swag in the ABA and NBA

This was way before my time. And thats why im here. To learn and appreciate the greats that came before us all.

Awesome!!! DR. J was they only name we used growing up when it came to ANYTHING basketball!!!

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, I feel really blessed to have been able to watch Doctor J and many others. What a fantastic time to be alive in those days! Praise God for giving us people like him with such wonderful Talent and great memories also :-)

That last pic of the crowd hanging off the building is unreal! I miss the pre-smartphone world.....

Doctor J was probably the most influential basketball player of all time. I used to watch him with the Nets. His success in tha ABA set up the merger with the NBA in 76-77. although I was an NBA fan at the time, the merger was the best and most exciting thing to happen to basketball. Nobody brought more excitement to a game than Doctor J. Other players may have gotten more hype later but he was the real deal and brought his own hype.

Dr J was something else !!!! He was on another level. I remember when he won an NBA Championship with Malone & the 76ers in 1983

He was a gentlemen first and foremost..one of my favourites in my book to play ball

I live in Virginia, and was lucky enough to see Dr. J play live at the Hampton Coliseum when he played in the ABA for the Virginia Squires team. I still have the ticket stubs somewhere.

Dr. J was THE MAN!! The first one to hang in the air and do thangs! They call Michael J "His Airness", but Dr. J was the ORIGINAL! Love you Dr. J.

I grew up on Long Island, NY and used to play at a park that Dr J used to play at before he went away to college. I can't tell you how honored I felt to have played there and I used to try and imagine what it was like when he was there. Everyone around town back then knew about it. He was a legend on Long Island back in the 70s-early 80s.

Doc is the nice guy you can ever meet , gentle, down to earth person, he the greatest basketball player I ever met, with the Nets in the ABA and the SIXERS in the NBA

pee wee is like a mix of richard pryor and denzel washington

Magic may have his shoes, but he has this man to thank. And yes, the Doctor would school him.

No words other than phenomenal period

Believe it or not @ 2:55 that's my dad he showed me this video to show me he was in it

I loved watching Dr.J perform as a kid then came Micheal Jordan man I was blessed to grow up in the 70's and through the 90's..........

Dr. J changed pro basketball and: 1. He played D 2. He did not travel 3. He played against great D, unlike the open spaces NBA players run through now. 4. He wore the Converse All Stars

The Father Of NBA Swag. Everybody from Jordan to A.I. to Michigan Fab 5 owes this man.

Hempstead NY,DR J was so good is high school coach became the mayor of the town!!!! I lived accross the street from the doctor waaay back!

A wonderful and amazing tribute to one.of the most talented/remarkable athletes to ever grace a basketball court.

This is what is missing today in life, authenticity ! Growing up in the 70s in Toronto we used to play soccer before school, recess, lunchtime,recess again and after school and weekends, being Croatian background it is cultural just like these guys in Harlem !

I was fortunate enough to have been born and raised in Philadelphia in the 60's 70's and 80's and growing up watching the 76ers The Doctor Jules Irving " Dr J " was my all time favorite basketball player 🏀

It was tough not seeing Dr. J/ABA in NBA cities like Milwaukee, back during the 1970’s. We used to get ABA player cards mixed in w/NBA players. I had an Erving “Virginia Squires” card, an Artis Gilmore “Kentucky Colonels” card, Darnell Hillman & George McGinnis “Pacers” cards. I could just kick myself for not taking care of those rare things.

In '77 or '78 I had business with Billy Cunningham. I went to the Sixers practice at Weidner College. I brought my 8 yr old kid along. Practice was just ending. My kid was eagerly hoping to get up close with some players. Instead, they all walked away from him and down to their loccer room. But Dr J walked all the way across the gym, patted my boy on the head and talked to him a bit. My son still remembers it as one of the highlights of his life.

Was a middle school basketball player in Chicago during Jordan's rookie season and watched his entire career there. But my first impression of the game was Dr. J as a toddler in the mid 70's, my first basketball idol. Him and Magic are my favorite players.

Dr. J introduced me to the game of basketball; Michael Jordan made me fall in love with it!

The Godfather of Dunks and Moves!!! Also he had Style with the Infamous Afro!!!

Great player and a greater man. Julius Erving.

Everyone wanted to be Dr. J, he was fantastic and a CLASS ACT!!!

Whatever you do in life, do what you love, and make an impact

My favorite player of all time, to this day.

I saw Dr . J when he was 20 playing in the old ABA in Indpls. Truly a special gifted athlete made it look so easy ! Met him after the games . A real gentleman , class act ! 😃🙋‍♂️🏀

I still have a Dr. J Converse poster in my old bedroom at my parent’s house. Room looks the same as it did in the 80’s. Doc was in a NJ Nets #32 jersey. The poster was about five feet by two feet wide. I also had Converse posters of George “The Iceman” Gervin, and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. I am still a Converse Chuck Taylor wearer. 👍. Sixers will always be my team, because of Doc, Toney, Cheeks, Moses and Bobby Jones.

I gotta come back to this, every once in a while...

My favorite Dr. J highlight was him cradling the ball and slammin' down over Michael Cooper!

My Uncle's( RIP) & My Favorite Pro NBA Superstar Player! Dr. J Is A Really Nice Person When He Signing & Meeting His Fans💯💯💯

When a player the caliber of Tiny Archibald talks in reverence about your game, you know you were something special

Dr. J is the player that every great player watched and tried to imitate. Jordan and James in particular

That behind the backboard layup move he did so many years ago is still the greatest ever.

He was my first sports hero. Actually got to see him when I was in high school! He was nearing the end of his career but drained a halfcourt shot at halftime!

Dr. J still looks great and has become a true ICON and Professional!!!

As a native SoCal guy and a man that to this day has continuous love for my man Earvin Magic Johnson, there was one love I had before him......that player was Dr. J....

Dr J is Top 10 all-time in raw talent and #1 is pure style and class. Every player who came up after 1970 wanted to be Dr J, and had to settle for whatever they got!

Still my absolute favorite basketball player of all time. I moved to Philly early 80s and saw him play for the Sixers many times. He was amazing. As a side anecdote, I was once on a flight from Philly to Denver with the entire Sixers squad (they flew commercial back in those days) and the film shown on the inflight entertainment was Woman in Red. When Gene Wilder checked into the hotel under the name Julius Erving the passengers went crazy with cheers and laughter. He’s a legend.

My favourite player. What a player. He's the greatest in my eyes. 20 years ahead of his time. Freak!

I can remember when Erving was at UMASS. People were talking about the kid at Amherst. Not once, but all over the place constantly. He was that good.

Dr J, my favorite player of all time. So much fun watching him play.

Growing up in Oregon in the 70s and 80s, the image of Julius that sticks with me always is when The Blazers Maurice Lucas and Sixers Darrell Dawkins squared off in a fight in the 76-77 NBA Finals. Chaos on the court, and the camera pans to Dr, J, sitting down at the opposite free throw line, just waiting patiently to play ball again. Always so smooth, so cool and calm and an athletic wonder. He had his moments as any human does, (I remember one in particular with Larry Bird) but always loved his overall game and demeanor. Lots of class.

Fabulous person

Thats to amazing to even understand. Being from harlem and seeing all those old pictures, and the crowd this guy drew out is just amazing.

I remember back in the day when Doc autographed my poster when he was playing for the 76ers real stand up dude ill never forget that.

I so enjoy watching the great Dr. J, do his thing!!! I still get goosebumps seeing him in all his heavenly greatness!!! Thank you Julius (Dr. J) Irving, you are the best!!!👍👍👍

And some people have the nerve to say Dr J isn't/wasn't a top 15 player of all time! He definitely still should be on every top 15 of all time list! His influence on the game and on its popularity was and is immense! If I could only have one retro basketball jersey it definitely would be Dr J's!

See how the crowd was able to gather and enjoy on the roof top in the trees thats a picture of the good old days they say i wasn't born then but looked like fun in the community .

Dr. J a true legend. Cant understand why he is not considered top 10 greatest NBA all time players.

Parents nowadays would lose their minds if kids sat like that on the roof hanging from 2 story building.

I remember his legendary lay-up in the air, out of bounds ("suspended animation") against the Lakers. Have never seen anything like it before or since. Even when you see it, it's hard to believe!!! Amazing Talent (when the Doctor Operates).

Greatest ever in my mind.

What a great player! I first saw him live in the ABA playoffs with the then-New York Nets playing against my beloved Kentucky Colonels. Everyone in the arena in Louisville was afraid of what he could do with the ball. I remember the dagger falling with a last second 3 from Dr J, and the crowd just groaned miserably.

Wow. That was an absolute highlight reel. Thank you.

No one had more swagger than Dr. J in the 70's

I saw that documentary, and thought it was AWESOME!! For those that are saying that Doc was/is overrated, u are forgetting one thing. Yeah, he had some holes in his game...he might not have been the best defender....or the best dribbler!! But was he was and IS, is an inspirational player!! He brought a lot of people TOGETHER! Doc became the "face" of the NBA!! He inspired people like Jordan and so on!! So to criticize his game or say he was overrated isn't fair because AT THAT TIME he was almost the perfect man....not player! Julius Erving was a HERO to alot of young black kids growing up....including myself!

Dr. J was my favorite nba player growing up. Probably my favorite player of all time.

Someone here recently called Dr. J, the "Jimi Hendrix of basketball." So apropos. Erving left an acquaintance, Coach Al McGuire, dumbfounded at the N.I.T. (then a big deal). Pat Summerall praised him at UMass as the "next Connie Hawkins." So I followed Dr. J with the Virginia Squires. Of course he was spectacular, as well as obscure. This enhanced the ABA mystery about him. There will never be another Dr. J.

Dr. J was my all - time favorite player, but also a huge fan of "Tiny" Archibald when he played for KC Kings. Hard to even imagine his career scoring stats if they had the three point shot in his day !

man i wish shit like this still went on... Street ball isn't basketball anymore... they are two seperate games now, sadly...

the Doc won my city a nba championship. the only MF ring the sixers will probably ever get while I'm still alive! thanks for the memories doc .. and thanks for that tomahawk dunk you did on michael cooper from the lakers back in the day. 1 of the top 5 best dunks of all time. that dunk has stood it's test of time!

Whew...stuff I never knew about thee most exciting player I've ever seen...loved watching him defy gravity back in the 70s playing for the 76ers...

J is a legend.....among legends....

In my opinion Dr J was the best. He was also a gentleman.

Dr j dunk on me when he was 59 in a backyard game he still got it

I wonder how many current NBA players view videos like this to learn about a legend and pioneer like Dr J. He was talent, creativity, class and legend.

When she was a kid, my mother used to watch him play at Nassau Coliseum as a member of the Nets. It's so cool that someone I'm directly related to was able to witness his greatness.

That was GREAT, everybody loved Dr. J even when he joined the ABA. The only man that spend more time airborne than on land.