MANILA, Philippines — Much is being made about that iconic photo of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan where the former was picking the latter’s brain about his nasty fadeaway jumper that was difficult to defend.
The two NBA stars went on to have a master-teacher and older-and-younger-brother relationship. Jordan shed light on their relationship during his eulogy for Bryant last February 25 followingthe Los Angeles Lakers superstar's untimely demise.
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Since the Chicago Bulls star’s heyday, the NBA and fans have always been on the lookout for "the next Jordan”. Bryant and current Lakers star LeBron James or even former stars Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill among others were once mentioned in those same sentences until injuries hurt their effectivity.
However, most basketball fans conveniently or unknowingly forget that when Jordan was a rookie in the NBA, he was touted to be the “next Dr. J.”
There is that photo of Jordan standing side by side with Erving that will remind one of Bryant and Michael.
Dr. J as in Philadelphia 76ers star Julius Erving, whose high-flying feats and thunderous dunks were the stuff of legend. With only radio, selected television coverage and newspaper articles only telling the story, the exploits of Erving were passed around by word of mouth.
Yet on the court, he was known for those high-flying slam dunks, his Afro waving through the air, and his graceful and artful lay-ups where he’d finger roll them or flip them at odd angles on the backboards after which the ball would drop through the hoop.
In his book "For the Love of the Game", Jordan said, “When I came into the league (NBA), I wasn’t nearly as enamored with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as I was with Julius Erving. As a kid, my first nickname was ‘Magic’, but the only player I really knew about was Dr. J.”
“I had a couple of good games against Philadelphia during my first season,” added Jordan, “but I couldn’t do anything when I was matched up with Julius because I had so much admiration for him. I was just happy to be on the same floor.”
The rookie seasons of Michael Jordan and Julius Erving
| Michael Jordan | Julius Erving | |
| February 17, 1963 | Birth Date | February 22, 1950 |
| Brooklyn, New York | Birth Place | Roosevelt, New York |
| NBA | League | ABA |
| 21 | Rookie Age | 21 |
| 28.2 | Rookie Scoring Average | 27.3 |
| 6.5 | Rookie Rebounding Average | 15.7 |
| 5.9 | Rookie Assists Average | 4.0 |
| 51.5% | Rookie FG Average | 50.1% |
| 84.5% | Rookie FT Shooting Average | 74.5% |
Erving was the lone NBA player will a mainstream commercial endorsement in those early 1980s with Coca Cola.
Noted Jordan of Erving’s popularity, “At the time, he (Dr. J) was the king when it came to a professional basketball moving to corporate America. His Coca Cola connection was like the connection I eventually had with Nike. In that sense, Dr. J made it possible for me to take the next step off the court. He brought so much class to the professional athlete.”
“In the 1950s and 1960s, you have Joe DiMaggio and Jackie Robinson. But Julius Erving was the first basketball player to combine dramatic athletic ability on the court with a clean, positive image off the court that connected with corporate America.”
While Jordan did pave the way for a lot of off-court success for today’s athletes, "The Last Dance" does forget the nugget from the past that is Dr. J’s connection to Michael Jordan.