Doc: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving - Hardcover

by Vincent Mallozzi (Author), Dave Anderson (Foreword by)

The definitive biography of basketball genius Julius Erving--the icon who transcended his sport and defined an era

Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, was a wizard with the basketball, performing feats the world had never seen before: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks, which he was the first to glamorize. In a career that lasted from the 1970s well into the 1980s, he was one of the first players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that has prevailed ever since. He's also long been respected as a gracious, dignified, and disciplined man. As there are great men of history, there are great men of sports, and Dr. J is just such a man.

This book tells Dr. J's amazing story, following his basketball journey from his Long Island childhood to the street games of New York City to a college career as his skills, reputation, and character grew. It follows his entrance into the ABA, where he revolutionized the game by glamorizing the dunk, and his conquering of the NBA, where he was Michael Jordan before there was a Jordan. It relates the family struggles he's had since leaving the game and charts the transformation of the man into myth.

• The first complete biography of one of the greatest and most popular basketball players of all time
• Draws on interviews with Dr. J's childhood friends and his family to teammates and coaches at all levels
• Written by a New York Times sports journalist and author of Asphalt Gods: An Oral History of the Rucker Tournament
• Includes Erving's years as a player with the Virginia Squires, New York Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers

Read Doc and follow the incredible journey of the basketball genius who elevated the game off the hardwood and helped make it America's passion.

Front Jacket

When Julius Erving announced that he would retire from the NBA after the 1986-87 season, every away game on the Philadelphia 76ers' schedule became a stop on the Dr. J farewell tour. Fans across the nation rose to their feet to honor the man who had both transformed and transcended basketball with his astounding physical abilities, impeccable showmanship, and truly admirable character.

In "Doc," celebrated sports writer and lifelong Dr. J fan Vincent Mallozzi traces Erving's epic basketball journey from the asphalt courts of his Hempstead, Long Island, childhood through his final season with the Sixers and beyond. He follows Doc through his days at Harlem's legendary Rucker Park, where so many basketball greats were nurtured, and his three seasons at the University of Massachusetts, where "the best kept secret in sports" wowed teammates and coaches with his explosive leaping ability even though dunking was forbidden by the NCAA at the time.

Drawing on scores of interviews with friends and family, coaches, teammates, and opponents, sportswriters and broadcasters, and team owners and managers, this definitive biography reveals new and compelling information about the founding father of modern basketball. You'll meet Dr. J's first coach and his first crush, tour his first court and his first job, and even take a look at his high school scouting report.

Coach Lou Carnesecca reveals why the Nets refused to hire Erving in 1971, forcing him to spend his first two professional seasons with the Virginia Squires. Nets owner Roy Boe defends his 1976 decision to sell his best and most loyal player to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Charles Barkley remembers how he was guided through his rookie season by the soon-to-retire superstar who was always willing to go out of his way to help a teammate.

A University of Massachusetts teammate recounts the awful night when he drove a distraught Erving home after the death of his brother Marvin. And childhood friend and teammate Archie Rogers marvels at the loyalty and generosity of the man who stood by him, even after Rogers became a drug addict and thief, and was arrested and sent to prison.

Complete with dazzling photos from Dr. J's early years and his pro career, "Doc" is a fitting tribute to a basketball genius who turned his passion for the sport into America's passion. Whether you're a Dr. J fan from way back or someone who has never experienced the thrill of seeing him play, this powerful portrait will give you new insight into one of the greatest players who ever graced the court.

Back Jacket

Always a showman, never a showboat

""Doc" was awesome, baby! with a capital 'a.' Dr. J was the consummate Hall of Famer. He electrified crowds with his dazzling display of dunks."
--Dick Vitale

He won three ABA scoring titles and was an All-Star in each of his eleven NBA seasons. He scored more than 30,000 lifetime points, was named the 1981 NBA Most Valuable Player, and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship. But what distinguished Julius Erving from the greats that preceded him were his incredible leaps and his unprecedented style--the midair spins and twists, the faultless fakes, the limitless grace with which he moved. In "Doc," you'll meet the real Dr. J, follow his career from the asphalt courts of his childhood to the mammoth arenas of the NBA, and discover the qualities that made him not just a basketball star, but an admired and respected hero to millions.

Author Biography

Vincent M. Mallozzi is a "New York Times" reporter who covers sports, metropolitan, and society news. He has written three books on basketball, including "Asphalt Gods: An Oral History of the Rucker Tournament." He was a producer of the ESPN basketball documentary "Big in the Mind," the story of the New York streetball legend Joe Hammond, and is a member of the Pro Rucker Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mallozzi's professional basketball career, with the Brooklyn Wonders of the ABA in December 2006, lasted 91 seconds. (The playing time came in exchange for a Sunday column in the "New York Times.") Born and raised in East Harlem, Mallozzi is a graduate of St. John's University, where he was later a professor of journalism, and of the Technical University of Budapest in Hungary. He now lives in Aberdeen, New Jersey, with his wife, Cathy, and their three sons, Christopher, Michael, and Mark.