TOM's Talks | Julius Erving

and a lot more. It all led him be an inductive in the nixt Smith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in two thousand and six. This week's Tom's Talks podcast is with the Doctor. We'll touch on Julius Irving's illustrious career, but we begin with a discussion of today's current events, specifically the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. Floyd died shortly after his arrest by a Minneapolis police officer. Irving's

professional career started in Virginia in the Old ABA. It was there on more than one on occasion where Irving was pulled over by law enforcements simply on the way to basketball practice. So Julius speaks on this topic based on personal experience. That was crazy, man, that was that was nineteen seventy one, seventy two. I mean it was

it was that long ago. And you know, just watching the video of this guy getting choked out with officer who has his knee on his neck and he's saying, I mean I just felt like going through the TV and pushing him, you know, just get just get off the guy's neck. I mean this this was life or death, right, and uh and I got stopped in those days in

the seventies. And you know, not only was it a nervous time because you know, you didn't know what the outcome was going to be, but the ridiculousness of it. And you know, asking me where do I work? You know, why do I have s car? Whatever? You know, you're got stopping me. That's not that's not a reason to stop anybody ask them where they work if they have a nice car. And and that was truth to be told. And so so this has been a problem in our

society for a long time. And you know, so the the rioting and the looting and all that kind of stuff that just goes in hand with people who are opportunists trying to take advantage of a situation and and and doing doing bad things during that time. But it's not anything new. It's not anything new. I mean when I was in high school, you know, just had a couple of students, fellow students who were teenagers you know, either get shot or you know, get hurt unjustly from

you know, be getting roughed up or whatever. So it's it's yeah, it's a it's an epidemic, and it's uh and it's in our society and I hate to see it be encouraged and fit and unfortunately a lot of things that are being fit, but being fit by people

in high places. I know you went through that and reading your book and getting to know you over the years, but speaking of that time when you mentioned high school, and this is a lot more fun and light, and that is you and your friends would get in the car and travel around New York City and find games in different parts and obviously a Rutger Park. You became

kind of famous, and that helped launch your career. But that joy of going to find the best competition and all being together and and I know you talked about that and and really think back on that fifty two some odd years ago with a with a joy when you remember how how that was for your ice. Yeah, yeah, as a teenager. You know, the first time I played in Rocket Park was after I signed with the Virginia Squires.

I had never played in that park before. So I literally twenty one years old when I played in Rocket Park. But I played in Brooklyn, played in the Bronx, played in Queens, and played in Long Island. And me guy named Robert Mayrant and named Lenny Carter Odell cured and and Leon Saunders, guy who named me the doctor and I named him the professor man. We used to get in the car and either my car, Robert's car, or Leon's car, and we go look for basketball games. We

used from Long Island. We would go to Queens because you know, we kind of exhausted what was happening in Nassau County, right where all the good parks were, and and we wanted more. And I think when you want more, you get more. So ironically one was one story I can we uh, you know, we used to go there.

We had you know, T shirts, so T shirts might might say something about where we're from but it just might have numbers on them, right, and uh, you know, we went into we went into Queens and we started playing foot called basketball, and at the end of the end of the round, you know, the guys said, man, you know you guys for y'all go back to Brooklyn. You know, let's let's exchange shirts. Let us at Brooklyn.

We're not from Brooklyn. We're from Long Island. And then they were so upset because they were like, guys from Long Island beat us. We thought y'all was from Brooklyn. So we like, we've changed the shirts. Anyway, then we went back to Long Island. So it wasn't about geography, but there was a perception that, you know, if you're from an urban environment, you played better and that you

are better. And that was I old enough for us too. See, we were getting recognized by somebody who was closer to the of the game, you know, New York City right that we were, and they thought we were from there. One thing I liked. And we're going to get into your time with the Sixers and the eighty three championships

and changing the game a little bit. But again going back to a little bit about your early years, in basketball was whether it was going to U Mass or trying out for the nineteen seventy to Olympic team, where just to that point right there where you just said where you were finding out where you fit and like, oh my, maybe my talents do fit into this level.

But you had a humble approach where in the end you became one of the greatest basketball players our game has ever known, but at the beginning you were trying to inch your way in there and figure out where your talents fit in. Speak to that, Yeah, you know, Tom, I hope that I've been humbled through the whole journey because, you know, for me, and my mentors told me this and encourage this, you know, trying to leave the game

in better shape than it was before you've got you know. So, so I think that was always somewhere in my mindset that if I could leave it better, then the next group, the next cool group, they will try to make it better because if I inspire them, then they're inspired by me. They will do things that will inspire others. So so for me, the whole moved to college and going to U Mass and going to a school different than you know, the big time schools, the Michigans and North Carolinas and

UCLAs in the world or whatever. Because I graduated high school, I was pushing six four it's less than one hundred and seventy pounds, and even though I posted good numbers, I was a twenty five point score seventeen rebound to night guy in high school. And we finished and we were seventeen and two, and then the first game of the county playoffs we lost, so we end up seventeen three, and you know, that was it for high school. It was it for high school competition, so the college competition

was next. Freshmen weren't allowed to play varsity basketball, and I probably was able to compete with the varsity basketball. As you know, the TAA realized and started letting freshman play. But we were seventeen and as our freshman team, I

remember the guys. We had a couple of guys from New Jersey, John Benncourt, Mike pack Here, Bill Kesgin, and then we had some Massachusetts guys, and then we had a couple of Long Island as Me and Rick Vogli with Vogli with for Salonica played against them in high school, so we had to be two guys from Long Island, and we never lost the game. So may our coach had a lot to do with that because he was, you know, he was like Vince Lombardi. He was a

hard driving guy. Peter Broker and uh and Jack Lehman. When I became a player for Jack Lehman, I played Bostony for the two seasons, and you know, he he kind of kept we lit on things because he played a very controlled the game. But for whatever reason, I played a lot of minutes and I was very productive, you know term the points and rebounds. You know, in the last year, well both years we got snubbed by

the NC Double A tournament. We went to the n I t in New York, and so that first year I remember, but I think we were eighteen and six and then we were twenty two and two because played twenty four games and the NC Double A didn't didn't recognize Yankee Conference as automatic, and so so I never got the big head associated with, you know, being a

national champion. And but I did love the game and I always wanted, you know, my own personal philosophy to apply if I went somewhere and played, let it be better, Let it be better. Because I'm there. So that Olympic development experience. Olympic development experience happened in nineteen seventy in preparation for the seventy two Games. So I got invited to the camp as an alternant, and you know this is chronicle in the book. As you know, you know,

I go there. There are a lot of players there who I had heard about and never played against, who had much bigger names. And I went as an alternant. Next thing, I know, the fitting me for USA jacket to go over and represent the USA. And I'm on a team you know with Paul West Ball was one and job Rights and Baptis, these guys with the big

schools and he had Crayton, Tom ms Miller went to Maryland. Whatever, I'm going on this team and we played thirteen games and I'm the leading scorer rebounded on the team and we had three seven footers. So it was like go figure. And I think coming back and playing my junior year in college, somebody out there said I'm going to take a shot on, you know, getting this kid and getting the leave school early, and that had not been a big thing during that time. Only a few people had

left school early. Spencer Hayward being the first, I believe, and then I became a part of a statistic in that regard because I left after my junior year, started my pro career with the Virginia Squires the championship and Julius you changed the game. And you know, obviously as a player when you're playing with flair and you can sense the crowd is enjoying it. But then as you grew into your pro career and you're soaring and flying,

you know, and the game became above the rim. And that's kind of a landmark deal in the history of our game in the early part of the seventies, and that's and then the game has changed. Basically, not a lot of people can lay claim to anything like that in any sport. Do you see it that way that

you helped change the game of basketball? Well, I'm not seeing the Royal Chiefs per se, but but but there's a there's a there's an undercurrent there in terms of people who sports enthusiasts and who acknowledgeable like yourself whatever, in terms of moments and things that we're change agents

in the sport and in every sport. You know, Jim Brown changed football and so so I like to hear it discussed, and you know, hear my name put in the equation with Pete Marraich and and I think when they have at NBA at fifty posted here and I are kind of like right next to each other, and and I look at it sometimes when I say, you know, he definitely changed the game. I changed the game. And I think that's why we're together like that. It's just kind of like a special little thing that I have

with Pete because I liked him. I went to camp with the Atlanta Hawks when he was there, and just like with George Gervin and Virginia's stay after practice and we play one on one and we just had a good time getting to no One in the sharing our basketball styles and the things that we brought to the game that were, you know before perceived to be only done by the gold Tradas or done for show as

opposed to effect. And I looked at when loss record and I said, love, you know, I might do things at a flash year and a showing, but is adding up in the wind column and the wind column is way created in the lost column. And you know, so that's how I view it. We'll have more of my conversation with Julius Irving in a moment. In this time of social distancing, Novacare Rehabilitation is offering physical therapy from

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visit novacare dot com. Now back to my chat with doctor j When you talked about trying to leave the game in a better place, everybody looked at you and still today as this ambassador, this icon of basketball. But for like a generation and a half, ten or fifteen years, the Michael Jordan's like, and then it went on to Michael and we've gone through that with the Last Dance and Kobe and Lebron in other words, a whole slice

of basketball dumb looked up to you. So when Jordan or people of that generation came up to you and you know, you intersected and you could feel that reverence, that must have been special. And then is the way you handle it makes it with the grace and the class and the charisma, just speak to that whole dynamic about being that guy. I think it's great when when they look at you being the godfather, so to speak.

And you know, I go back to my experience at U Mass when Bill Russell came and it was his uh, he just finished went in the NBA Championship as a player coach for Boston. He retired, and he was a speaker. He was speaker at UMSS. I'm nineteen or twenty, and you know, he heard about me and asked me to meet up with him after his after my practice and after his speaking engagement because I didn't hear him at a speaking engagement. And we met and we went to

the student union and we went in there. It was probably like eight thirty nine o'clock and when we left there it was midnight, you know, And my life was changed forever. I mean, I sat and I listened to this man talk and his wisdom and his sincerity, and there was an integrity about him extending the hand of

friendship at that time that I had never experienced. And I wished and hoped that I could do that for somebody else, and fortunately I was able to do it and still continue to do it with Bill, you know, called one the phone and you know, first thing, he says, what's up, doctor, and we just take up what we left off. So it could be a week before, or

it could be three months before, whatever. And he's he was that type of iconic figure, and I aspired to you know, obviously it could win eleven championships thirteen years or whatever, but I could extend the hand of friendship. And they did that too, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and guys big and small like them, Terry Tyler, Quinn Boner, you know, just guys who said, hey, man, you know I'm here. If you ever need me, just give me a call. Grant Hill, just give me a call, see it,

just to see what's up. And you know that there's a good feeling associated with that in terms of affecting a few different generations because now at seventy, you know, you know, forty years past my prime on the court, maybe forty five years past my prime on the court. So there's been multiple generations of players who I've met in some capacity, and I tried to build Russell and due to them with what they did to me, what he did to me, that's awesome and you're great at that.

And during your prime you were an eleven time All Star and what I love too is you were five time first team All NB And of course you did win that championship with the Sixers in nineteen eighty three, but it was a long time coming, starting in the seventy seven finals when you played Portland and then trying to get there, um just to kind of walk us

through that. I know that's a lot, but to finally achieve your goal after getting knocked down with a group that was primarily able to stay together, and then adding Moses to finally get you over the hump. But that's a rare. You don't really find that as much anymore, where a team is able to, you know, take the

steps and finally punched through. But you were at the peak of your powers with the MVP and anyone, and just like I said, getting into that finals and winning an eighty three, well yeah, it's it's interesting because you know,

there's there's like three parts of my career. So there's the first five years, which the ABA years, and there's the next eleven years, which is the you know quest or not the next seven years the quest for the championship, and then is the four years you know afterwards, in which we weren't contenders, but you know, we were competitive. We were like the spoilers and now and it was

an interesting time. So um, but the eleven years with Philadelphia, so I look at that as the middle and the end of my basketball life and the chase in those first seven years with going to four finals in seven years, like you said, it doesn't always happen. And the team that we had, we had the best record in the

league the first year. We had George McGinnis brother from another mother, and Doug Collins, Henry Baby Joe Bryant called Kobe's Kobe's dad, Henry Baby Mike Baby's dad, and Harvey Catchings to mek A Ketchings dad and so so we had we had some good h genealogy on that team, and Gene Hue coached and obviously that that initial team and we got all the way to the championship, won the first two games and then lost the next board games.

So that just kind of set the table for it can get worse or it could get better, and I think it got worse before it got better, because we had a void before we really got back to the championship.

And that's when the team began to evolve and the team began to change, and you know, instead of Henry Baby and Doug Collins, you know, we end up with Marie's cheeks and Andrew Tony his backcourt, with Clid Richardson and Franklin Edwards as the other two guards leading up to the seventy three team, but the eighty three team, and uh, so we ended up with a with a makeup with Billy Cunningham coming in and Chuck Daily and shaping and molding and trimming and cutting and and from

seventy seven to eighty three year window, eighty we got back and uh and Billy was in charge and uh and he had the championship experience from the sixty six sixty seventeen and you know, had infinite coaching wisdom from playing for Dan Smith and the program in North Carolina whatever, and so that's what he knew, and Chuck knew and Chuck Daily was our excell old guy, and you know, he was a champion by all the guards. So so we had we had leadership on and off the court.

You know, I think we had to pedigree to be a champion, and we just we just we just needed that piece that came in eighty three, which was big mall and and more more needed us, more needed us. He hadn't won any championships in equaly the ABA or the NBA, and he was a great, all time great and destined to be an all time great with a

twenty two year career or whatever. But I think he needed us as more as much as we needed him, and we really needed him, and and during that time, i'd like to think about, you know, going three times in six years and becoming a runner up. There's your window close, you know, it's it's that it and that

as good as it gets. Well, we've got a couple of ABA championships, NBA, a VP, ABA, multiple vps and so and so as that is that is that my whole story, because it would be a big board if NBA champion wasn't listed with on that resume, and for some places it doesn't get listed on the resume, so it's nothing, nothing that guarantees it. So I was very very fortunate to get it in eighty three because there wasn't gonna be another shot at getting it unless we

stayed in tack. And we didn't stay in tack because you traded Moses. The next year Washington for Jeff Brulin Andrew went down, and you know, the next three years it was just kind of like riding up the stream, you know, being a spoiler, being good enough to be a playoff team every year, but not really being good enough to be a user when you guys went win

the championship. But I know the and you've lost some of your brothers from from those years, um, Moses, and but when you fly back from Los Angeles and you land in Philadelphia, and just the memories of the parade, of being at Bentery Stadium, of going down to Road Street, the joy that you delivered after promising to a city that you know, we owe you won and finally being the champion, I would imagine that was like a magic carpet, right.

It was a magic carpet, right, Tom, It was. It was so special, friends and family in tow uh, you know, riding down the streets of Philadelphia to the stadium just to just to just to enjoy the moment and celebrate that moment you know, there was a lot of social unrest going on in Philadelphia during that time, you know, with the move group and the elections you know, being

rigged and so much going on. So I think that the championship brought the city together and averted something very very bad, very bad thing that could have happened because Philadelphia was ready to explode during that tament. I think the team, uh definitely brought people together and created a oneness of mind and spirit and created a movement going

forward that that helped get over that hump. You are a hugger and at this time we're you know, elbow tappers like and you're you know, like I said, you've been in a basket or for basketball for the six or yeah, back here to Philadelphia. This is going to change things a little bit. You're not going to be able to, at least for now anyway dole out autographs or or a lot of people the way you go.

It's a nice break. It's a nice break because sometimes I feel like Anna signed my life away in a year go to these shows and you know, you signed like two three four thousand autographs, and uh, I've always been good about it. Obviously, it's a business piece to it now with right, you know, fanatics and the different companies that are that are in it to win it. So um so right now, it's been a break. And ironically I tripped on some steps with flip flops on it and I hit my elbow, so I versus sack

versus is swollen. It was like a knot at the end of my elbow. So I'm not even getting people elbows right now, not with this one, right, But but yeah, it's a different time and the meeting of your question is really about the contact with people, the physical contact with people that're getting in your face to one on one conversations. And now here's how we're doing it. We're doing it virtually right, you know, we zooming. Other other

apparatusis space time. And the older people have to get used to using the technology and embracing the technology because there's a new normal coming and and it might it might be like this forever in terms of certain types of communication. I mean, you know, I don't want to go anywhere near a hospital or emergency room whatever, but you still might need some medical attention and whatever. They have to do it do it like this, and it's

it's amazing. And one of the other things we're doing is, you know, watching a lot of TV, watching a lot of channels that I've never watched before. I'm seeing all these documentaries or pandemics and all these fictional movies about what could happen, and this is really happening. So yeah, right, yeah, yeah, they there. There's a bunch of movies on. There's a whole category and I just missed them over the years. Yeah, who now now and I'm seeing them now and it's

their eye opening. We'll close with this provided basketball does return. In the forum, that's being reported the Sixers are healthy. Everyone says they're built for the playoffs. We close with you talking basketball about the Philadelphia seventy sixers. What do you think the chances are for this current group provided the NBA resumes play Well, I mean, I like what we have. I think that you know, we got the positions covered and got depth and uh and so now

it's you know, to the aggressive goes to spoils. You know, we have to initiate, instigate and and really go after it, like you know, can't wait for I don't know, wait for teams to make mistakes. You have to force teams into making mistakes and and you know it's it's it's kind of like a coom to gral one for all an awful one or whatever. You know, stop fooling around with this thing. It's not something that's going to be given to you. You know, other teams want it as much.

And if there's any team out there that wants it more, then you have to adjust and want it more than they do. So I think you know know who your know who your enemy is, know who your opponents are, and and be the aggressive you know, I think aggressiveness will pay dividends for our team. And I think that you know, but you've got a center in foul trouble. You know, Joe gets in foul trouble. We got back up, He got back up, He got backup, guys, he got backup.

Aays in every position. You know, al you know, I could be the starting center. They can, they can flip flop roles. You know, as much grief as Ala given us when he was in Boston. We want that Aura show up, not just he usually shows up a playoff time or whatever. So you know, Tobias is great and keep things level in terms of team and distribution and whatever and Ben and Ben's a phenomenal He's you know,

he's a prodigy. Um. You know, I think he's non winning all of his life and uh and he's you know, he's come the most direct route to to pro basketball then un in anybody from the time he started playing and so of the documentaries, documentary you know, the team he started playing basketball. He's come directly to this stage and this platform and whatever. Soode. So I think he's ready for it. And you know, I like our chances, well,

I so much. I appreciate your time. I can't wait till we're able to get back and being a more normal situation. If you will take care of yourself. Thank you, doctor Jakes. All Right, you take care. Thanks Tommy, Thanks for listening to Tom's talks with me Tom McGinnis on the seventy six Ers podcast network. Check for new episodes every weekend.