Inside The Nets

Julius Erving Honored At First Nets Game At Barclays Center

Dr. J was in the house for his first-ever Nets game at Barclays Center. Erving won two ABA titles and three ABA MVPs during his time with the New York Nets (1974-76).

Rob Lep

Julius Erving Honored At First Nets Game At Barclays Center
Julius Erving Honored At First Nets Game At Barclays Center /

The doctor is in the house!

And no, we're not talking about a medical doctor to help fend off the coronavirus in Brooklyn.

Dr. J! The great Julius Erving, who spent four seasons with the New York Nets (1973-76), was honored at Barclays Center Friday night in Brooklyn.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance received Dr. J as Black Panther bobbleheads. Pretty sweet, huh?

Erving won two American Basketball Association (ABA) championships with the Nets (1974, '76) as well as the ABA Most Valuable Player all three of his seasons with the team.

Born in East Meadow and growing up in Roosevelt, New York, playing for the New York Nets in Uniondale was a homecoming of sorts for Erving.

"To go back to Long Island, when I did and how I did, it was usually meaningful," Erving described. "It was a huge learning curve there too. When I left, I knew a lot of people. When I came back, a lot of people knew me, who I didn't know! (chuckling)"

"There's some challenges associated with it, but once you do it, you learn how to move with grace and elegance and timeliness, it becomes a really positive experience."

Erving's No. 32 jersey was retired by the Nets on April 3, 1987. He's one of just six players to have their jersey retired by the team.

With Erving in the house, Brooklyn certainly put on a show, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 139-120.

It's been quite the week for Caris Levert, who recorded his first career triple-double in the win, which came after dropping a career-high 51 points versus the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. 

Brooklyn improves to 28-34 with the win, currently sitting at the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

In addition to his work as a digital host and reporter for SI.com, Rob is also a writer for WFAN, SB Nation and the founder of his own website/ interview show STAT Sports (STATSports1.com). Follow him on Twitter: @RobLep1

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Rob Lep
ROB LEP

Rob is a Long Island native and versatile sports broadcaster/ journalist. In addition to his work for Sports Illustrated, Lep also writes for WFAN.com and serves as an on-air contributor for CNN Sports Desk and ESPNU Campus. He's the founder of his own website/ interview show STAT Sports (STATSports1.com). When he's not typing or editing on his computer, you can find him at the local Shake Shack or Chipotle. Follow him on Twitter @RobLep1.

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