![]() Not that his life has been left to chance. Yet Erving insists he has no control over any of this. Chap-Stick!) the devoted Christian and family man-all seems too wonderful, like the high school senior whose yearbook entry is six times as long as anyone else's. The image-be it the revolutionary aerial daredevil artist the articulate best friend of the press the man in the mink coat and the Mercedes the national chairman of the Hemophilia Foundation the coach of the Special Olympics basketball program the adviser to The March of Dimes the spokesman for the Lupus Foundation, American Dental Association and Philadelphia Police Athletic League the endorser of the American Red Cross, Population Institute, Pennsylvania Adult Education and dozens of other charities the ubiquitous television pitchman (Hey, Dr. J: he has a patent on the name in all forms. The key word is "control," for the good Doctor insists that nothing is within his control, a claim which sounds a trifle too modest to be true. With all this in the palms of what must be among the world's largest hands-11 inches from pinky to thumb with fingers only slightly stretched, a little longer than this page-is it too much to believe that Erving is in complete control of his world? Furthermore, he controls a fledgling business empire worth a small-say, $10 million-but growing fortune. He carries himself with uncommon dignity and class, he handles his superstardom more graciously than any of his peers. His life is ordered, he has a wife as lovely as her name, Turquoise, and three beautiful and well-behaved children, with a fourth expected in May. Certainly he can control his body and a basketball in ways no one before him ever thought possible. If we didn't know any better, we would think that Julius Winfield Erving II is in control of things to a degree matched by few athletes. "Thank goodness," he said, "for small favors." ![]() Of course, that result, a happy one, was outside of Erving's control as well. That meant that the 76ers would get tamer Indiana in their mini-series, leaving the Bulls for the New York Knicks. ![]() In Indianapolis the Chicago Bulls, the most feared of the playoff dark horses, had beaten the Pacers. And to Erving, what is, is.īut all did not go afoul for the Sixers. Of course, this game would have been meaningless, the title and time off locked up, if the Sixers hadn't folded in four of their previous eight games. The loser would finish second and get just one day's rest before negotiating the potential booby trap known as the best-of-three mini-series. The winner would be champion of the NBA's Atlantic Division and receive a cherished bye in the opening round of this week's playoffs. Nor was there any reason for him to consider why this game was as big as it was. There were no predictions of victory from him, but neither was there any sign of uncertainty on his face or in his voice about what might happen in the big game. He sat silently in front of his locker at the Boston Garden last Sunday before the 82nd and final game of his 10th professional season, a pair of hot towels warming the springs in his knees. While all attempts are made to ensure the correctness and suitability of information under our control and to correct any errors brought to our attention, no representation or guarantee can be made as to the accessibility, correctness or suitability of information provided by any hyperlinked site or any other linked information accessed through the Basketball Hall of Fame website but not under its control.Take, for example, Julius Erving, the Philadelphia 76ers' incomparable Dr. The Basketball Hall of Fame makes no representation concerning, and is not responsible for the quality, content, accessibility, nature or reliability of any hyperlinked site. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. The Hall of Fame has more than 400 inductees and 40,000 sq. Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level.
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