Latest news with #JuliusErving
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Famous for Basketball and Now the Setting for an Opera
Good morning. It's Thursday. Today we'll find out about an opera that will be performed on a storied basketball court in Harlem. And, with the forecast calling for temperatures in the mid-90s on Tuesday, we'll get details on early voting for Primary Day. It won't be that hot tomorrow or over the weekend. Holcombe Rucker Park is famous for basketball. It's where stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving once put their reputations on the line, playing street legends. It's where Jay-Z and Fat Joe put together teams for a game that was never played. (It had been scheduled for the night of the blackout in 2003.) Rucker, as it is known, has been the setting for films and documentaries, including one that won a Sports Emmy Award. Now Rucker, wedged between the Harlem River Drive and Frederick Douglass Boulevard at West 155th Street, is about to become the setting for something different — an opera. But the work that will be performed on Saturday and again on June 28 seems to belong there. It's about basketball, and the performers play as well as sing. 'We actually play basketball 12 times' in the opera, said Grethe Barrett Holby, who had the idea that led to 'Bounce: The Basketball Opera' more than 20 years ago and who is the creative director of the production. 'A lot of the actual drama happens in the games. I know enough that I'm not going to stage the games, but I make sure we can see what is going on between the characters.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Put those guys on the court against anybody. They would win" - Julius Erving revealed his NBA all-time starting five
"Put those guys on the court against anybody. They would win" - Julius Erving revealed his NBA all-time starting five originally appeared on Basketball Network. When NBA legends, both past and present, are asked to name their all-time starting five, the answers are always interesting and often passionate. Some base their selections on who they've played with or against, while others choose players they've seen dominate the game. Advertisement For Julius Erving, a man whose name is synonymous with basketball greatness, his all-time starting five is as old school as it gets — and it's one that has raised plenty of eyebrows. "I have my team since I was 15, so that eliminates a lot of people," he said. "You got Wilt [Chamberlain], you got [Bill] Russell, you got [Elgin] Baylor, you got Jerry West and you got Oscar Robertson. Put those guys on the court against anybody. Anybody. They would win. That's my team." Erving's original picks Dr. J. made his name in the NBA during the 1970s and '80s and grew up watching and playing in a league dominated by Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson. These were the players who defined the sport long before Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan reshaped it for the next generation. Advertisement Erving's selections, rooted in the old era, tell the story of a player who grew up in a league shaped by giants. Chamberlain, the 7-foot phenom, dominated the paint with scoring numbers that have yet to be matched, including his famous 100-point game. Russell, the ultimate winner, secured 11 championships in 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, showcasing unparalleled defensive skill and leadership. Baylor, a forward who changed the game with his athleticism and creativity, was one of the first to introduce the modern highlight reel dunk. West, the logo himself, was known for his scoring, playmaking, and clutch performances. Robertson, who averaged a triple-double over an entire season before it was trendy, was a true all-around talent that transcended positions. For Dr.J, these players weren't just his heroes but the foundation upon which he built his career. He grew up playing in a time when the NBA was still finding its identity, and these legends, each in their own way, were the trailblazers who made the league what it is today. Advertisement Related: "I know Dennis will not throw a punch. No way" - Phil Jackson was confident Dennis Rodman will never start a fight Standing by his decision As the years went on, the NBA saw a shift in talent and style. The 1980s ushered in the golden age of Johnson, Bird and a rising Jordan — players who would come to define the game for decades to come. Yet, for Erving, their greatness didn't change the team he had already chosen long ago. "That's always going to be my team," he said. "Magic, Michael, Bird. I love what they did for the game, love their talent, their blessed ability, but I picked my all-time team a long time ago. I'm really old schooling and I don't change." Advertisement While Johnson, Bird, and Jordan are household names, with their epic rivalries, championship runs, and game-changing abilities, Erving's stubborn loyalty to his original picks raises some eyebrows in today's basketball landscape. Magic brought flair, vision, and leadership to the point guard position, while Bird redefined what it meant to be a forward with his all-around skills and relentless competitiveness. Jordan, of course, became the global icon who inspired millions with his will to win and unparalleled talent. These three would almost certainly make the list of almost everyone, but not Erving. His vision of basketball greatness is firmly grounded in the players of his youth — those who helped create the game as we know it today. Related: "People have an aura, and Doc definitely is that person that has it" - Jim Jackson explains what made Julius Erving so magnetic personality This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Julius Erving viewed the 1995-96 Bulls as more than just a great team: "They've been giving the fans of the basketball world a glimpse of the future"
During NBC's coverage of the 1996 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle SuperSonics, three true basketball legends shared their thoughts about the game. Julius Erving gave his analysis from the studio, while Larry Bird and Magic Johnson joined the broadcast via satellite. With the Bulls making their fourth Finals appearance of the decade, the main question was just how great this team really was. As expected, all three legends spoke very highly of them. But what came as a surprise was a unique point made by "Dr. J." Advertisement At the end of their discussion, the 1981 MVP shared a rare, forward-looking perspective — one that still holds up today. The Bulls' international revolution It cannot be overstated: What Erving said is one of the most accurate basketball predictions ever made on live TV. To truly understand why, you have to rewind to where the league stood at that moment. In the mid-90s, the NBA was still mostly focused on American players. Scouts mainly watched college games in the US, and international players rarely received serious attention. When teams did take a chance on foreign players, they usually didn't get major roles. In fact, those who truly made an impact were rare exceptions. Advertisement But the Bulls, led by visionary head coach Phil Jackson and GM Jerry Krause, were already breaking that mold. Their roster featured key international players — notably Luc Longley from Australia and Toni Kukoc from Croatia. That season, the duo combined for 143 regular season games and played a crucial role in the team's historic run to the NBA Finals, with Kukoc even winning the 6MOY award. It didn't go unnoticed. "Dr. J," an icon of both the ABA and NBA, saw the writing on the wall. During the Finals broadcast, he described the eventual champions not only as clear favorites but also as a preview of the future of the league. "One of the things you've got to consider when you talk about this Bulls team is that all year long, they've been giving the fans of the basketball world a glimpse of the future — what the NBA is going to be like in the 21st century," said the former 6'7" forward. Related: Isiah Thomas recalls his college recruitment: "My mom closed the briefcase and said, 'My son's not for sale" The global shift "Dr. J" had envisioned For Julius, one thing was clear: the NBA was on its way to becoming "an international league" — not just soon, but throughout the new century. He saw the team from the "Windy City" as the starting point. In his eyes, they didn't just have the best American talent, but also the "greatest players ever" from Australia and Croatia. Advertisement "We're getting a sneak preview of what it's going to be like in the 21st century," remarked the Philadelphia 76ers legend when reflecting on that iconic team. "Dr. J" couldn't have been more right, as that sneak preview turned into a real-time movie in the years that followed. Two Texas franchises, the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, played a big role in this shift. San Antonio, led by legendary head coach Gregg Popovich, focused heavily on international talent and eventually ended up with future Hall of Famers Tony Parker from France and Manu Ginobili from Argentina. In Dallas, Donnie Nelson's global approach led the team to draft Dirk Nowitzki, a then-unknown forward from Germany who would go on to become an all-time great. Advertisement What started as a trend soon reshaped the whole league, and today, just like Erving predicted, the NBA is fully international. The recent run of MVPs born in Europe (Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo) and Africa (Joel Embiid) says it all. Related: "I would have been a much bigger star" - Toni Kukoc agreed he would've been what Luka Doncic is today if he didn't play for the Bulls
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Magic in the air: how the slam dunk evolved alongside basketball
You can still see the moment online, 42 years later: The Philadelphia 76ers' Julius Erving pulling off his January 1983 'rock the cradle' dunk against the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, Dr. J cradles the ball in his arm as he goes airborne and slams it home over the Lakers' Michael Cooper. 'It's the greatest dunk of all time,' says Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Mike Sielski. Sielski has the authority to say so. He is the author of a recently published book, Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk. Within its pages, you can relive those long-ago highlights from Dr J. The same goes for the epic 1988 NBA Slam Dunk Contest battle between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. There's an unforgettable moment from college basketball: Lorenzo Charles dunking to win the 1983 NCAA championship for NC State over Houston and its Phi Slama Jama roster. There are bittersweet moments as well: Gravity-defying stars who, for various reasons, fizzled in the pros (David Thompson) or never made it there at all ('Jumpin'' Jackie Jackson and Earl 'The Goat' Manigault). The book delves into the origins of dunking and the perhaps unanswerable question of who was the first to dunk. The pioneers include Jack Inglis – who reportedly hung on to the cage surrounding a court and threw the ball into the net – and Bernard Dobbas, who was powerful off the court too: He reportedly slew a mountain lion with his bare hands. There was also the 1936 US Olympian Joe Fortenberry, who hailed from the unconventionally named town of Happy, Texas. The narrative explores dunking's subsequent appeal to Black players during the civil rights era, when its top practitioners included Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and a UCLA standout named Lew Alcindor. After a sensational sophomore season from the future Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the dunk was controversially and mysteriously banned from high school and college play for nearly a decade. What brought the dunk back in favor? Sielski credits the upstart ABA and its popular slam dunk contest. The ABA-NBA merger brought dunking experts like Dr J into the NBA, while a younger generation, which included Jordan, created new memories in the dunk contest. There is also a chapter on trailblazers in women's basketball – Georgeann Wells, Charlotte Smith and Sylvia Crawley. The book examines the reported decline in dunking today, while noting there are still NBA players who make it an essential part of their game, from to unlikely dunk contest champion Mac McClung. 'I wanted it to be a fun ride, to feel like a journey,' Sielski says, 'where the reader and I journeyed together to different places, different eras, fun stuff about the history of basketball, and stuff tangentially connected to basketball, so you would enjoy the ride.' The author did a fair amount of journeying for the book, making multiple road trips. Yes, he did travel to Happy, Texas, a suburb of Amarillo. There, he met Oliver Fortenberry, whose late father Joe had played for Team USA at the notorious 1936 Games in Berlin. Sielski got to hold Joe Fortenberry's gold medal. He also got a warning to watch out for rattlesnakes. Then there was the trip to Raleigh, including a local restaurant with a name honoring the famed NC State coach Jim Valvano – Jimmy V's Osteria and Bar. The score on the wall is always 54-52, the final of the 1983 NCAA championship, decided by Charles's dunk. Sielski also visited Murray State, where Morant parlayed his dunking skills into big-man-on-campus status before leaving college early for the NBA. Yet there was one journey the author couldn't make – to the offices of the NCAA in Indianapolis. Sielski wanted access to the organization's presidential archives – specifically, with regard to the late NCAA president Walter Byers. Sielski was trying to document why the college (and high school) basketball establishment had banned the dunk from 1967 to 1976. Sielski points out that 1967 'was a year after Texas Western beat Kentucky for the national championship,' with an all-Black starting five defeating an all-white starting five, 'after Lew Alcindor dominated college basketball in his sophomore season [at UCLA], the only season he could dunk the ball legally. Statistically, it was the best season of his college career. You can't separate that decade [1967-76] and those who tried to keep the sport 'as it should be' from what was going on in society writ large.' He adds: 'The ultimate act of dominance on a basketball court is to dunk over someone. It was an opportunity for Black men during the 50s, 60s and 70s. In society at large, Black people were fighting for their rightful place and piece of the American Dream.' Formally, the ban was issued by the National Basketball Committee, a since-disbanded overseeing group for high school and college ball. The NCAA, on the other hand, is very much around, and that's where Sielski made inquiries through email and was dissatisfied with what he received. 'It got to the point where I said: 'Look, if you don't let me see the documents, I'm going to print our email exchange verbatim in the book, everyone can draw their own conclusions,'' he says. 'I haven't heard back from them since.' Sielski's previous book was on Kobe Bryant. After finishing it, he and his agent were brainstorming ideas for another project. He says he was inspired by his friend and fellow sports journalist Tyler Kepner's book K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches. He admired a book with chapters that could be read either sequentially or randomly and was, regardless, a good read. 'I thought of doing something similar through basketball,' Sielski says. 'The more I thought about big moments and big figures in the sport, they were all connected with the ability to dunk – Jordan, Julius Erving.' There's an element of mythology to dunking's history, the author notes, including protagonists who were larger than life literally and figuratively, whether through height, wizardry above the rim, or both. 'People like to say Michael Jordan took off from the foul line at the 1988 dunk contest,' Sielski says. 'Or that Julius Erving took off from the foul line at the 1976 ABA dunk contest. They really did not.' The author laments that the mythmaking and flamboyant play symbolized by dunking has given way to the analytical approach represented by the three-point shot. 'It's so much more analytical,' Sielski says. 'The Celtics take and make the most three-pointers in the league … I think the game is suffering for it.' He sees an antidote in McClung's wins at the dunk contest. The book notes that McClung's spectacular dunks have gained millions of views online, while tweaking a stereotype summarized in the title of a hit movie: White Men Can't Jump. 'A 6ft 2in white guy, it appears challenging for him,' Sielski says, but adds that McClung can 'jump over a car, do a 540-degree spin' en route to a dunk. In this, there's a connection to the greats of the past. 'Watching him dunk the ball goes back to that sense of wonder, an appreciation of the athleticism of the athletes, the players who dunked years ago, when it first appeared,' Sielski says.
