A Julius Erving Poster Dunk Led To Two Hall Of Famers Not Speaking For A Decade

Shandel Richardson | Jan 20, 2025

Unknown date and unknown location; USA; FILE PHOTO; Philadelphia 76ers forward Julius Erving (6) against the Milwaukee Bucks. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network. / Malcolm Emmons - Imagn Images

NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving hurt a lot of feelings with his thunderous dunk.

There was one, however, that had stronger results than just a stare down. Erving ranked a slam over Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes as No. 1 on the list.

The reason was because it caused him and Hayes to stop speaking for more than a decade.

"Elvin Hayes stopped speaking to me for about 12 years from one dunk," Erving said during a podcast appearance. "One dunk in the Capital Center and it was down the lane. Wes came over so I was kind of little worried about Wes because Wes could hurt you. And E jumped up and he always jumped with two hands. So he jumped with two hands and I moved the ball over to the middle and kaboom."

Erving said he reconnected with Hayes during the celebration of the NBA's top 50 players years later.

"I dunked the ball really hard, hard enough to suck the air out of the building," Erving said. "Every time I saw him he would never say anything to me. Then when went to the 50 greatest players in 1996 and we sat and we had dinner. I hadn't spoken to him since that dunk and this was at least 10 years later. I realized that this guy had not spoken to me and I knew why he was upset. You didn't have to be upset that long. You don't have to take it personal."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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