The ABA and the NBA merged in 1976, and one of the big reasons was Julius Erving.
The ABA never really had any national television exposure, but everyone knew who Dr. J was. The afro, the kneepads, the dunks…everyone understood that he was a phenomenon, and that, once the 1976-77 season started, fans would get to see a lot of the Doctor.
He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers after the merger, and that team was insane.
Aside from Erving, it had George McGinnis, a ball-dominant power forward, World B. Free, and Darryl Dawkins. They also had Doug Collins, Henry Bibby, Caldwell Jones, and Kobe Bryant’s dad, Joe, but the first four players really were the ones who drew the most attention, although at 6-6, Collins was an unusually tall guard for the day.
Philly got to the NBA Finals, where they met Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers.
That series would be framed as a traditional NBA team vs. one that was more ABA-ish.
Portland ultimately won the championship 4-2, thanks largely to Walton’s exceptional brilliance, but before the series turned, the Sixers were up 2-0, and America got to see Erving’s brilliance up close and personal.
In this video from the first game, Erving makes six dunks, and all of them are stunning.
Fans quickly learned that everything they said about Erving was true. He was an incredible talent.
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