How Julius Erving's nickname evolved in the pro leagues: "You've got to be Dr. J"

Julius Erving is one of the most decorated players in both the NBA and the ABA. He played through the 1970s and the 1980s and eventually retired in 1987 when he was 37.

Despite being retired for over three decades, he remains one of the most popular legends in the sport of basketball. In fact, the NBA named the Slam Dunk Contest trophy after him.

Aside from having several personal accolades and having an award named after him, Julius Erving also has one of the most iconic nicknames in the NBA.

When someone utters the name "Dr. J," there is a definite chance that basketball fans know exactly who is being referred to.

In an interview with Mark Sager posted on Esquire, Dr. J talked about how he got his iconic nickname:

"Originally, my nickname was "The Doctor". I was called that by my high school teammate, Leon Saunders after I called him "The Professor".

Erving added:

"Saunders and I went to college together at UMass, so our nicknames followed. But when I got to the pros, there were already several people in the organization who were referred to as "Doc" or "The Doctor"—there was the physician, the trainer and so forth. So one day the trainer said to me: "Hey listen, you've got to be Dr. J."

As it turns out, the nickname "Dr. J" was given to Julius Erving by a team trainer, perhaps to avoid confusion since he was surrounded by plenty of other people called referred to simply as "doctor."

While Erving does not name the trainer responsible for giving him one of the most iconic nicknames in the history of basketball, there are many people in the basketball world who are thankful that he came up with the monicker.

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Cedric Maxwell was impressed by Julius Erving when he dropped his career high in points

Boston Celtics standout Cedric Maxwell had the pleasure, and the problem, of facing off against Julius Erving during his hay days.

On November 1, 1980, Erving's Philadelphia 76ers faced off against Maxwell's Celtics. This would be the first time that Maxwell would be facing off against Erving in his NBA career.

Throughout the night, "Dr. J" would be up to his usual antics, and the young Maxwell was in absolute awe. Erving ended up hitting half of his shots with a 16-32 shooting clip on his way to a career-high 45 points while torching the C's.

The night would be unforgettable for Maxwell, as he recalled it in James Worthy's podcast back in 2020:

"Let me give you a good story about this. My first time playing with Doc, I was so much in awe, I never touched him. I was like, ‘I might as well start clapping,’ and I'm like, ‘Damn! That was a nice move! ...Damn! That was a nice move.”

Maxwell's reaction to Erving's incredible night is of course understandable, as "Dr. J" dazzled fans and opponents alike with some of the NBA's most breathtaking highlights.