How Julius Erving Helped A Young Rookie Named Charles Barkley
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley entered the NBA with a built-in support system.
When he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, he joined a team that already had veterans Moses Malone and Julius Erving.
In an interview with Bill Simmons, Erving described how he and Malone mentored a young Barkley. Erving gave Barkley a speech about "acting like a professional."
"With Moses and myself, I think he really looked up to us because we were already established," Erving said. "And it was a lot of `yes sir, no sir.' It quickly changed from `get out of my way.' Those years that we played together, we had a lot of fun. Watching him develop and watching him become a dominant force was a joy."
FORMER ALL-STAR AVOIDS THE N-WORD
Growing up on the New York City playgrounds, former NBA point guard Kenny Anderson had no choice.
He heard friends and family use the N-word often. So he joined in because he thought it was no big deal.
Years later, Anderson, who was drafted at No. 2 by the New Jersey Nets in 1991, has changed his opinion. He no longer uses it as term of endearment because he feels the word is associated with too much negativity.
"I just didn't want to talk that way," Anderson told Back In The Day Hoops On SI. "I grew up in New York so I had no choice. It's a term of endearment. I was like, `Man I don't really want to deal with it. I just got off it. I haven't said it in ages. Some people don't want to get off it."
Anderson, a one-time NBA All-Star has since started pushing T-shirts that read, "My Guy." He says that's a much more acceptable greeting.
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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