Julius Erving – From Way Downtown

Charles Barkley’s Bitter End, 1986

The loud, proud burghers of Milwaukee streamed out of the stands to gather behind Barkley and blister his ears until Maurice Cheeks came back to lead him to quiet, if not necessarily peace.

George Gervin: Chillin’ with The Iceman, 1988

[No intro needed for George Gervin. His many career achievements and chill image precede him. In this article, which ran in the April 1988 issue of Basketball Digest, Glenn Rogers of the San Antonio Express newspaper checks in with the 35-year-old Iceman to mark an upcoming city-wide ceremony to fete their retired pro basketball heroContinue reading “George Gervin: Chillin’ with The Iceman, 1988”

Moses Malone: The Indestructible Sixer, 1984

Moses Malone was the hard hat—6-foot-11, 255 pounds of steel-driving man. He showed up in overalls every night. And when everybody else was wobbly with fatigue, he was the guy still pounding rivets, drenched in sweat, a fierce scowl on his face.

Billy Knight: The Pacers’ Newest Star, 1975

Billy Knight is only the second rookie in the Pacers’ history to crack the starting lineup right away. McGinnis was the first.

The Legacy of Dr. J, 1986

This season, Erving’s 16th as a pro, was to have been the closing of the circle that is basketball.

Rick Barry: Tales of a Happy Warrior, 1974

“I had commitments to Franklin Mieuli and the Warriors,” recalls Barry, “and also to Roy Boe and the Nets. It was a difficult situation to be in.”

Rick Barry Discusses: Is the ABA As Good as the NBA? 1973

The National Basketball Association is better than the American Basketball Association, but it is no longer a great deal better.

Earl Strom: NBA’s Oldest Referee Does It His Way, 1982

Earl Strom officiates with his whistle in his hand. His partner, Joe Gushue, wore his on a lanyard. Strom suggested that Gushue remove the lanyard before they reach the exit, so that fans couldn’t get such an easy hold of him.

George McGinnis: Would You Believe . . . A Strong Julius Erving . . . A Tall Elgin Baylor?

At the age of 22, McGinnis has already been compared—favorably—with a man many considered the finest and most complete forward in basketball history—Elgin Baylor.

Julius Erving: The Greatest Show on Earth, 1973

Did Erving need the big-time to feed his ego, feeling perhaps that he’d suffer the sort of way Henry Aaron did by playing in towns where he didn’t get much national publicity? “No, I don’t feel that way,” said Erving. “All during my basketball career and life, the acknowledgement of me has been in a very limited sense.”