Sports fans always remember the great moments … championships, last-gasp victories, record-breaking performances.
But guess what?
We also remember the bitter disappointments.
On June 17, 1976, it was announced that the National Basketball Association would absorb four members of my beloved American Basketball Association – the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York Nets and San Antonio Spurs.
As a Nets fan, I was glad my favorite team lived on – and that I could watch them on TV – but I was crushed at the demise of the ABA. The league that featured red, white and blue basketballs and free-wheeling play turned me from a casual basketball fan to a basketball fan for life, and now it was gone.
But what might have been even worse was the news that broke on this day 48 years ago: Julius Erving had been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
I found out immediately as I opened the local paper and turned to the sports pages:
A $6.5 million deal which would bring pro basketball superstar Julius Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers from the New York Nets awaited only the final approval of Nets owner Roy Bee, the Associated Press learned. The deal, it was learned from pro basketball sources, could be completed later at a private meeting in New York. It reportedly calls for the Nets to get $3 million for Erving, who would then sign a multi-year contract with the 76ers for a reported $3.5 million.
I didn’t cry – I was a big, brave boy in 1976 – but I cussed.
Just as the Nets were my favorite team, Dr. J was my favorite player. In fact, he was the reason I became a Nets fan.
After the UMass grad starred for the Virginia Squires for three seasons, he was signed by New York in 1973. I was familiar with the ABA during his time in Norfolk/Hampton/Richmond/Roanoke (CBS televised select games in the early 1970s), but it wasn’t until Erving took his dunking act to the Big Apple that I became committed to the league that dared challenge the NBA.
Without a national TV contract most of my fan worship was confined to newspaper stories, but I anxiously awaited word of his exploits.
And once I got over the disappointment of the NBA-ABA merger, I was excited that the Nets could show the old circuit how it was done.
They were coming off an ABA title, one that saw them best the Denver Nuggets in six games. It was their second title in three seasons, and I had no doubt they could jump right into an NBA schedule and win big.
I mean, with Kevin Loughery coaching ‘em up, the Doctor dissecting the opposition and Super John Williamson scoring at will, there was little doubt they’d teach the old guard some new tricks.
Instead, everything was blown up with the loss of Dr. J, and that left me in a bit of a quandary.
See, while the Nets were my overall faves, the Los Angeles Lakers were the NBA team I supported.
Would I abandon both and throw my support behind Dr. J and the 76ers – a franchise I’d never given a second thought?
Kinda, and no.
I couldn’t bail on the Doc, but I had invested so much energy cheering for the Nets (and to a lesser degree, the Lakers) they felt like “my” teams, regardless of who put on the uniform. (Tiny Archibald and Jan van Breda Kolff were on the 76-77 New York roster, while L.A. was led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). So – in what I think was a quite mature decision for a 15-year-old – I decided that I would always hope Erving played well. But … when he played against the Nets or Lakers, I’d hope he didn’t play that well.
Historically, of course, Dr. J is best known for his time in Philly. He spent just five years in the ABA (three with New York) and played his last 11 seasons with the 76ers.
The end result is 30,026 points (a 24.2 ppg average across the ABA and NBA), a place in the Basketball Hall of Fame and College Basketball Hall of Fame, the ABA All-Time MVP, NBA 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, an NBA title and pair of ABA crowns.
Decades later, I remain a fan of the Nets and Lakers – and Julius Erving remains my all-time favorite player.
However, I’ve still never cheered for the 76ers.