Sixers legend Julius Erving ranked No. 20 best player of all-time
This edition focuses on Erving who's No. 6 uniform hangs from the rafters from the Wells Fargo Center due to the amazing things he has done for the Sixers. In 11 seasons for Philadelphia, Erving averaged 22.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists and won the 1981 MVP award. He led the Sixers to their last title back in 1983.
Bleacher Report ranked the top 100 players in the history of the NBA and Erving comes in ranked No. 20 on the list:
The Julius Erving resume looks ridiculous when combining his body of work in the ABA and NBA. He is one of nine players to clear 30,000 points, and one of just six players with at least four MVP awards, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Bill Russell—a veritable who's who of top-10-all-time candidates.
Decades upon decades later, Dr. J highlights still pop. The one-handed finishes are crafty and seemingly feature infinite hang time. His game was equal parts smooth and flashy but teeming with MVP-caliber substance.
If you can't bring yourself to combine his two resumes, you should at least appreciate that he was the face of two separate leagues, accomplishing enough in each of them to earn a Hall of Fame nod even if he hadn't played in the other.
Erving is one of the best players in the history of the game and arguably the best player in Sixers history--although there are others who can stake that claim as well. Either way, No. 20 sounds about right for him in the history of the game.
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