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Was it really jυst oпe missed call?

The first thiпg Los Aпgeles Lakers faпs aпd some members of the team weпt oυt to do after Game 2 of their NBA Playoffs clash was blast the officiatiпg.

How The Nυggets BUILT Aп NBA Powerhoυse

 

Maпy heated heads were пot pleased with how certaiп foυls committed by the Nikola Jokic-led Deпver Nυggets to players like Aпthoпy Davis, LeBroп James, aпd D’Aпgelo Rυssell shaped the trajectory of a crυcial matchυp. The leagυe’s official last two-miпυte report came oυt aпd it looks like the referees may have admitted to oпly oпe mistake.

It was пot the foυl oп the layυps. It was пot eveп oп the scramble before Michael Porter Jr.’s clυtch 3-poiпter agaiпst the Lakers. Iпstead, it was a mere violatioп that the officials felt they shoυld have called agaiпst Nikola Jokic, via Brett Siegel of ClυtchPoiпts.

“There was oпe mistake made by officials, based oп the NBA’s L2M report, iп Lakers-Nυggets Game 2: With 1:49.4 remaiпiпg, Nikola Jokic was iп the laпe for more thaп three secoпds. This shoυld have beeп called a defeпse 3-secoпd violatioп, resυltiпg iп a free-throw for LAL,” the iпsider wrote.

Officiatiпg gets blasted

© Roп Cheпoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oпe big iпcideпt that the Lakers faithfυl keep poiпtiпg oυt was committed oп D’Aпgelo Rυssell. The foυl agaiпst LeBroп James after that also iпfυriated a lot of faпs. They eveп weпt to social media to express their disdaiп for the calls.

“The oпly thiпg bad aboυt that DLo пoп-call was the Jamal Mυrray weak toυch foυl oп LeBroп that got called towards the eпd of the game. That caп’t be a foυl iп the playoffs, giveп the ref’s aпgle that called it,” a υser wrote.

Aпother avid spectator eveп spotted big iпcoпsisteпcies iп the officiatiпg, “Call the game coпsisteпtly. Eveп thoυgh it’s obvioυs that the MPJ slap vs DLO is a foυl 100% of the time. We all woυld have lived with it if they didп’t call a foυl wheп Broп literally toυched Mυrray aпd he flew oυt of boυпds.

“The fact that refs reviewed aпd igпored a BLATANT foυl. Giviпg the пυggets FTs for what they have beeп sayiпg is a пoпcall the eпtire game, is what’s so irksome.”

Lakers’ Darviп Ham reacts to the calls

Roп Cheпoy-USA TODAY Sports
Rυппiпg schemes iп these types of sitυatioпs caп be qυite hard. This is exactly what LeBroп James aпd Aпthoпy Davis’ coach felt dυriпg the whole dυratioп of their NBA Playoffs clash agaiпst the Nυggets.

“Some toυgh calls. Some toυgh пoп-calls. Bυt yoυ caп’t υse aпy of that as aп excυse… It’s gettiпg really tricky. Yoυ go throυgh the seasoп with games beiпg officiated oпe way. Theп yoυ get to the playoffs. I gυess it’s left υp to the iпterpretatioп of the three iпdividυal gυys that are doiпg the job oυt there,” Darviп Ham said.

LeBroп James eveп exclaimed how frυstrated he was after the Lakers did пot get a lot of calls.

“I doп’t υпderstaпd what’s goiпg oп iп the replay ceпter, to be hoпest. D-Lo clearly gets hit iп the face oп the drive. What the f**k do we have a replay ceпter [for]? Makes пo seпse to me. It bothers me. Aпd theп I jυst saw what happeпed with the Sixers-Kпicks game too… what are we doiпg?” the Lakers legeпd proclaimed.

Jay is a sports writer for ClυtchPoiпts, with expertise iп coveriпg the NBA, NFL, MLB, Teппis, aпd Formυla 1. He also has byliпes at Last Word oп Sports aпd FaпSided. More aboυt Jay Postrado

Neymar is adamant about not getting involved before his possible sensational move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Rather, in anticipation of Barcelona’s match against Manchester United, he went shopping in Los Angeles and laced up some new trainers.

Neymar looked delighted after picking up a load of trainers at the Los Angeles store Flight Club

Neymar posed in front of his purchases at the boutique in Los Angeles.

For Complex magazine, the Brazilian, who is at the center of a £222 million transfer agreement to PSG, has been selecting the top trainers available.

Neymar, 25, has been in Los Angeles as part of the Barcelona preseason tour. He scored twice for the team in their 2-1 victory over Juventus at the MetLife Stadium.

After learning that the Ligue 1 team would be paying him almost £500,000 per week, the attacker made the decision to go shopping.

During a video discussion with the magazine, Neymar flaunted his passion for both street fashion and the high life. He talked about how much he loved his Nike Air Jordan sneakers and even had a ‘Air Jordan V Neymar’ version of them.

The NBA superstar, who has scored 32,292 points in his career and won six championship crowns, is among the most successful players of all time.

“When I met him, he was incredible,” Neymar remarked. He was a really cool man and really friendly.

Neymar celebrates scoring against Juventus in Barcelona’s pre-season

Neymar poses with Michael Jordan after the NBA star gave him a line of Air Jordan trainers

Neymar does some keepy-uppy in the limited edition store Flight Club

“I was taken aback by his hospitality. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

“I was shaking when I met him.”

The wantaway Barca superstar was also snapped with Demi Lovato in the bowels of the MetLife Stadium after his starring role for the club this week.

But he also expressed his admiration for NFL ace Odell Beckham Jr, who he was snapped with alongside British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton.

He added: “We’d spoken a while ago, we spoke when we met in London and we joked around, chatted about life and about our plans.

Neymar took his spoils to the checkout and racked up a £14,000+ bill

Neymar spoke in an interview with Complex magazine.

“Odell is a fantastic player, excellent man, and great person. I’m quite proud of him.

“All my friends are fans too.”

He continued by selecting his favorite treads, and then he walked to the cash register, where he paid an astounding £14,242 in fees.

Neymar, however, also took a jab at Dani Alves, stating that he would not want to dress like his former Barcelona teammate and fellow Brazilian.

“I have a friend named Dani Alves who doesn’t dress like anyone else,” he continued.

“I like it when he wears something different, I wouldn’t wear a lot of the things he wears.”

On the other side of the country, Barcelona takes on Manchester United at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins.

For the last month or so, the most eye-catching sports highlights on TV have been those from 30 years ago, showing the low blows Michael Jordan suffered at the hands—and elbows, hips, forearms and knees—of the Detroit Pistons. Three consecutive postseasons Jordan and the Bulls faced the Pistons, and three consecutive postseasons the Bad Boys, as the Pistons were known, recognized they couldn’t stop Air Jordan from taking flight, but they could decide when he landed. And how.

After falling short (literally and figuratively) to those Pistons again and again and again, Jordan decided to ground himself, and that’s when everything changed—for Jordan, the Bulls and the NBA.

The Pistons referred to their strategy as “The Jordan Rules,” apparently believing that “Goonery” was too indelicate. “The Jordan Rules by the Pistons were all about not letting him get to the basket,” says former Bulls center Will Perdue, who played in the last two of those futile Pistons series. “Nobody could stay in front of him, so his man, usually Joe Dumars, would try to make him go a certain direction, usually toward the baseline. A second defender would run at him with their hands up as if they were making a play on the ball, except they’d literally run through Michael’s body. John Salley or Dennis Rodman would get a running start and just take him out.”

While repeatedly getting knocked down never knocked Jordan out with an injury, the energy to pick himself up, along with his insatiable hunger to prove the tactic couldn’t stop him, had a cumulative effect. It left him drained, both at the end of games and the end of the series.

“I don’t think [Pistons coach] Chuck Daly wanted to hurt him,” Perdue says. “He was just looking to wear him out.”

After losing in seven games to the Pistons in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals, Jordan decided it was time to stop running headlong into a wall of Detroit big men—and, instead, make himself into a big man. Rather than drive from the perimeter and then take flight, leaving himself vulnerable to Detroit’s punishing tactics, he worked on catching the ball where he was a scoring threat without taking a dribble: on the low block near the basket. It was an unorthodox tactic to have a 6’6″, 198-pound shooting guard play that way, but it was possible because of the Bulls’ equal-opportunity Triangle offense, which was predicated on interchangeable players reading the defense and collectively recognizing its weak spot.”The Triangle was the ultimate disguise because we never ran a play,” says point guard B.J. Armstrong, who arrived as a rookie for that seven-game loss to the Pistons and stuck around long enough to pick up three championship rings. “Once he figured out how to manipulate the defense, there was no denying him. He’d pick apart the game as he saw fit.”

First, though, Jordan had two items on his to-do list: Get stronger and perfect his post game.

“The Jordan Rules worked as long as Michael played a traditional way,” Armstrong says. “But he made an adjustment. … He figured out he had to catch the ball in position to score. So he learned to operate from the post and on the weak side and play the game with three dribbles or less. Now when he caught it, because his footwork was so good, he could score in a multitude of ways. He was skilled enough to adapt to any situation.

“He wasn’t just a jump shooter. He wasn’t just a post player. He could play every phase of the game. At both ends. He was as fundamentally sound and complete on defense as he was on offense. His thinking was, ‘Y’all want to get tough? Not only can I score on you, I can stop you.’ He could always adjust. [His opponent] couldn’t.”

Fitness trainer Tim Grover became part of the equation after reading an article about how the Pistons’ physicality was wearing Jordan down, physically and mentally. He contacted the Bulls and offered his services. Jordan gave him a 30-day trial, which turned into a career-long relationship.

“He trained exclusively with him by the time I got there,” says swingman Jud Buechler, who was part of the Bulls’ second three-peat. “It wasn’t that they were doing anything that far ahead of the curve; some guys are just built. Mike didn’t look like a bodybuilder, but the times I ended up on him in practice, it was no fun. He had this natural strength. Especially his core. From the waist down, he was a rock. You could not move him.”

To hone his back-to-the-basket game, Jordan spent the entire 1990-91 season dragging 6’10”, 230-pound rookie power forward Scott Williams onto the floor for post-practice one-on-one sessions with one rule: only post moves allowed.

“I probably played more one-on-one with Michael than anybody other than his brothers,” Williams says. “He always grabbed me after practice. We played free-throw line down. I beat him once. Well, I beat him and he called an offensive foul on me and then scored three straight to finish the game. He was relentless.”

The plan worked. On their fourth try, Jordan and the Bulls swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and won the first of their six titles in the spring of ’91.

That didn’t stop other players from trying to physically intimidate Jordan, even if their tactics were far more subtle than the Pistons’.

“Guys would file their fingernails a certain way so they’d come to points, like claws, and just rake him,”  Perdue says. “He’d look like he had jumped over a barbed wire fence and didn’t make it. There were marks all over his back, legs, arms. It was almost a badge of honor for him. ‘Look at what this guy tried to do to me,’ he said once.”

Not that Jordan wanted anyone to feel sorry for him; quite the opposite. He never wanted opponents to think they were good enough to affect him or his play. Winning the psychological battle was as important to Jordan as the physical one.

“He wanted to make things look effortless, like he wasn’t even working that hard,” Armstrong says. “That was part of the act. Because then people didn’t realize just how much energy he was expending. Even with the Bulls, he made it look like he just showed up. He’d walk in 25 minutes before practice. What most people didn’t know is he’d already worked out at his home gym, ate breakfast and played 18 holes of golf. MJ was a grinder at heart.”

Another part of the “act” required his teammates to play along. Perpetrators who knocked Jordan down with a hard foul weren’t to be confronted, lest that Bull should find Jordan in his face.

“He’d get mad at somebody going at somebody on his behalf, because he felt it was giving that person [who fouled him] too much credit,” Perdue says. “It was part of the mental game for him. He never wanted anyone to think any of it got to him.”

That extended to how he dealt with the referees. He certainly did his share of griping about missed calls, but he was calculated in how he did it.

 

Michael Jordan made it clear to his teammates that he didn’t want their help getting up off the floor no matter how many times the Pistons, or any other opponent, knocked him to the ground.John Swart/Associated Press/Associated Press

“He rarely barked at the referees,” says Steve Kerr, a guard on the Bulls’ second three-peat squads. “He would hold his jersey up near his mouth and make his point. He didn’t want anyone seeing that he was frustrated or angry.”

Jordan didn’t even want his teammates knowing if he was hurt in an effort to prevent that information from leaking and providing an opening for an opponent.

“Back then, if you knew a guy had a bad hand, you were going to find a way to whack it,” Perdue says. “He once got a really bad infection in the webbing between his toes. He had to be hospitalized. He kept the IV insertion needle taped to his arm. He’d have the IV in until we practiced, unhook it and practice, and then go back to the hospital. Other than that, though, you never saw him getting treatment. I have very few images of him sitting on the training table, other than getting his ankles taped. I’m sure he did [get treated], but it wasn’t around us. It was almost like all the info on MJ was off-limits. He didn’t want anybody knowing stuff like that.”

Jordan recognized, though, that he needed his teammates to be equally tough. If he envisioned needing you to play an important role at some point, however small, he was going to find out what you were made of long before the moment of truth. Small forward Scott Burrell’s successful navigation of Jordan’s gauntlet of fire during the 1997-98 season is covered in ESPN’s 10-part documentary, The Last Dance, on that season’s march to a sixth and final championship for Jordan, but there are others who couldn’t. Dennis Hopson was Burrell, six years earlier—a scoring wing off the bench who was consistently matched up with Jordan in practice

“It ruined Dennis Hopson,” Williams says. “Every drill, five-on-five, three-on-three, Hopson had to take the abuse of Jordan. It was a mental beatdown. There was one day Hop went back at him and we ended up winning that scrimmage. We picked up Hopson and carried him to the locker room as if we’d just won a championship. But next day, it was more of the same.” Hopson, the third pick of the 1987 draft, was traded two games into the next season to the Sacramento Kings. It was his fifth and last.

Jordan didn’t have to tell management when a guy didn’t meet his standard, either. They did it themselves. “He made it so guys were rushing to their agents saying, ‘You have to move me,’” Buechler says.

The standard reached a new level when Jordan returned from a 21-month hiatus to try his hand at baseball and mourn the murder of his father, James. Everyone in the league, including inside the Bulls locker room, reacted akin to gazelles catching sight of a lion. But for those who could cut it, the chance to play with a living legend superseded any trepidation.

Buechler remembers walking into the Bulls locker room before Jordan’s first practice back and sensing something different.

“What’s going on?” Buechler, who had yet to play with Jordan, asked Ron Harper, who had his head down tying his shoe. Harper looked up and said, “The Man’s here.”

 

Jordan often would probe an opponent’s defense early in a game in an attempt to plot a countermove later in the same game.Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

In that day’s scrimmage, Buechler was on Jordan’s squad, received a pass from him on a fast break and nailed a three-pointer. “He stuck out that big mitt to give me five and I thought, ‘My career is done, I am going to run out of the building and go home because this is as good as it gets,’” Buechler recalls. “His aura was larger than life.”

That carried over to opponents.

The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers replaced the Pistons as teams in the East that tried to get physical with Jordan, but at that point, Jordan knew what he needed, both from himself and those around him, to claim another title. After being bounced in the second round of the ’95 playoffs by the Orlando Magic, he went to work once more sharpening the Bulls’ collective championship mettle. The ’95-96 training camp “was a war every day,” says Kerr and included an incident when an exchange of trash talk resulted in Jordan punching Kerr in the eye. Although Jordan says he later apologized, Kerr doesn’t think it happened by accident.

“It was a test, for sure,” Kerr says. “He wanted to know he could count on you. The Knicks, in particular, would not double him for three quarters and then in the fourth they would, to challenge the role players to make a shot and make a big shot.”

What Pat Riley and the Knicks understood is that if you showed Jordan your strategy early, he’d have a counter devised before the night was over. “He’d say, ‘B.J., let’s find out what they’re going to do and then I’ll make our adjustments after halftime,’” Armstrong recalls. “He’d attack double-teams twice in one possession just to see what the defense did. He’d goad them into thinking they had him covered. But he was saving it all for the last four minutes. Then he was going to force whoever we were playing to be perfect those last four minutes. No misreads.”

Of course, there were those who still tried to physically intimidate Jordan, mainly because there weren’t too many other ways to beat him. Former center Olden Polynice—traded to Seattle by the Bulls for the rights to Scottie Pippen in a 1987 draft night deal—earned an ejection after hammering Jordan on a drive to the basket.

“We couldn’t stop him the traditional way, so we had to do whatever we had to do,” Polynice says. That incident allowed Polynice to discover just how revered Jordan had become.

“I would call my mom after every game and I did that night, too,” he says. “First thing she says is, ‘Why did you hit Michael?’ I said, ‘Wait a minute, I’m your son.’ She said, ‘Yeah. But that’s Michael.’ That’s how big he was.”

Or that’s how big he became. First, literally, by becoming a big man in a 6’6″ shooting guard’s body. And then by becoming the psychological monster in every player’s mind.

“When you look into a man’s eyes and see no fear, that’s a different look,” Armstrong says. “That’s what you saw in his. It was a look that said, ‘I’m the baddest one here. I know it and you know it.

“‘But I’m still going to prove it to you.’”

Hе ιs еxρеctеԀ tσ mаƙе а full ɾеcσᴠеɾy bеfσɾе tҺе 2024-25 sеаsσ𝚗 tιρs σff.

Ja Morant made a surprise appearance at the Big Shots Nation King of the Hill Tournament to support his AAU team, Twelve Time, as they dominated on the first day of competition. The Memphis Grizzlies star, known for his electrifying performances on the court, took some time off to cheer on his former team and inspire the young players with his presence.

With Morant in attendance, Twelve Time showcased their skills and determination, drawing inspiration from their basketball idol. Morant’s support undoubtedly boosted the morale of the team, demonstrating his commitment to nurturing the next generation of basketball talent. As the tournament unfolded, Morant’s presence served as a reminder of the importance of giving back to the community and supporting youth sports programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an unexpected and low-key appearance, Rihanna, known for her multifaceted career and recent entry into the billionaire’s club, showcased her growing baby bump while dressed in simple clothes during a lunch outing in Los Angeles. This outing is particularly notable as it came just before reports surfaced that she was “going into labor.”

Dressed in a comfortably chic ensemble that included a soft, oversized sweater and stretch leggings, Rihanna opted for minimal makeup, letting her natural beauty shine through. Her look was accessorized with understated jewelry and her hair pulled back in a loose bun, highlighting her effortless grace and the glow of impending motherhood.

The choice of a casual outfit and the timing of her lunch in the bustling heart of Los Angeles reflects Rihanna’s confidence and comfort in her own skin, even as she navigates the final stages of her pregnancy. It’s a stark reminder of her ability to blend celebrity glamour with the relatable realities of everyday life.

During the outing, Rihanna was seen enjoying a relaxed meal, smiling and interacting warmly with friends. Her demeanor was one of contentment and tranquility, possibly savoring these last moments before her life changes with the arrival of her new baby.

The news of Rihanna “going into labor” shortly after her lunch outing has sparked excitement among fans and followers. This development adds another chapter to her journey as a mother, an aspect of her life that she has somewhat shielded from the public eye, choosing to share only selective glimpses into her personal experiences.

Rihanna’s approach to her public appearance before reportedly going into labor is a testament to her unique blend of privacy and openness. While she embraces the spotlight, she also maintains a boundary that keeps the most intimate aspects of her life protected.

As fans eagerly await more news, the sight of Rihanna, serene and simple in her style, offers a refreshing contrast to the often extravagant expectations placed on celebrities. Her presence in the city, almost incognito, serves as a powerful statement of her autonomy and comfort in her personal journey, reinforcing why she remains a beloved figure far beyond the music and beauty industries.

Championship celebrations were the norm for Michael Jordan throughout his NBA career.

By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. Although, a summary of his basketball career and influence on the game inevitably fails to do it justice, as a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, improvisational ability and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar.

Even contemporaneous superstars recognized the unparalleled position of Jordan. Magic Johnson said, “There’s Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.” Larry Bird, following a playoff game where Jordan dropped 63 points on the Boston Celtics in just his second season, appraisal of the young player was: “God disguised as Michael Jordan.”

A brief listing of his top accomplishments would include the following: Rookie of the Year; Five-time NBA MVP; Six-time NBA champion; Six-time NBA Finals MVP; Ten-time All-NBA First Team; Nine time NBA All-Defensive First Team; Defensive Player of the Year; 14-time NBA All-Star; Three-time NBA All-Star MVP; 50th Anniversary All-Time Team; Ten scoring titles — an NBA record and seven consecutive matching Wilt Chamberlain; Retired with the NBA’s highest scoring average of 30.1ppg; Hall of Fame inductee.

Considered one of the greatest players ever, Michael Jordan made 11 All-NBA teams, won 5 MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs and 6 NBA titles and crafted a legendary legacy.

However, his impact is far greater than awards and championships. He burst into the league as a rookie sensation scoring in droves with an unmatchable first step and acrobatic drives and dunks and concluded his career as a cultural icon. Along the way, he became a true champion who spearheaded the globalization of the NBA with his dynamic on-court abilities and personal sense of style that was marketed to the masses.

He was an accessible star who managed to maintain an air of mystique. He was visible as “Air Jordan,” as part of a sneaker advertising campaign and endorsing other products as well as the star of the movie, “Space Jam”. However, he would vanish into retirement twice only to return until hanging up the sneakers for the last time after the 2002-03 season.

Although Brooklyn born, Jordan was bred in the more tranquil North Carolina. The son of Delores and James Jordan, he shared a special bond with his father, which included baseball being both of their first love. However, following his older brother, Larry, whom he idolized and was a spectacular athlete in his own right, Jordan began to play basketball.

He attended Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, but as a 5-foot-11 skinny sophomore, he was cut from the varsity basketball team. The summer before his junior year, he grew to 6-foot-3 and began his path to superstardom.

A Tar Heel at heart, the high school All-American attended the University of North Carolina. As a freshman, he played somewhat in the shadows of upperclassmen James Worthy and Sam Perkins. However, he shone in the spotlight of the NCAA championship game against Georgetown and another great freshman, Patrick Ewing, whom Jordan would foil future NBA championships for as well. Jordan scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and made the winning basket on a 16-foot jumper with 18 seconds in the game for the 63-62 victory.

As a sophomore, he was named College Player of the Year by The Sporting News. As a junior, he received that award again as well as the Naismith and Wooden Awards. After his junior year he was chosen with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.

Back in 1984, the Blazers made a move in the Draft that would change two franchises’ paths.

The Houston Rockets selected 7-foot center Hakeem Olajuwon form the University of Houston with the No.1 pick, which most expected. The Portland Trail Blazers, however, with the No. 2 pick chose 7-foot-1 center Sam Bowie from Kentucky, which was not as anticipated. Bowie had suffered several injuries while in college but the Blazers bypassed Jordan because just the year before the team selected another exciting shooting guard in Clyde Drexler. Although Drexler went onto to be a star, Bowie was an injury prone player with a journeyman pro career.

Jordan, coming off a gold medal performance at the 1984 Olympics, prospered in the pro game with a fabulous first season, earning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He averaged 28.2 ppg, (third behind Bernard King and Bird) 6.5 rpg and 5.9 apg. He also was selected to the All-NBA Second Team. Perhaps more important, the Bulls improved to win 11 more games than in the season prior to his arrival and made it to the playoffs. Jordan averaged 29.3 ppg in the first round series, but the Bulls lost in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks.

In his first season, he did not have outstanding shooting range and was thought to roam too often on defense, resulting from playing trapping defenses in college according to his first NBA coach, Kevin Loughery. Yet, his medium game — eight- to 15-feet from the basket was impressive as evidenced by his .515 field-goal shooting percentage and his steals tended to compensate for his less than stellar straight-up defense.

Improvement in both areas would come and he would ultimately be regarded as threat from anywhere on the floor and one of the best ever one-on-one defenders.

Even in the exhibition season before his rookie campaign, players and coaches were sure that the Rockets and Blazers would regret their picks. King, the eventual leading scorer for that upcoming season, seemed sure as well when he spoke to Hoop magazine after a 1984 preseason game.

“All I can say,” King said, “is that the people in Chicago are in for a real treat.”

He was right. Jordan’s greatness and likeability was apparent in just his first season. Home attendance at the venerable Chicago Stadium and on the road rose dramatically. Fans of opposing teams were seemingly content to see their team lose if in return Jordan put on show.

Jordan’s personal style was equally authentic and unique as his basketball skills. Nike signed him to a major shoe deal because of his anticipated appeal, but he surpassed even the loftiest of expectations. One version of the sneakers he wore in his first preseason was an unseen before blend of his team’s red and black colors that the NBA initially considered in violation of the “uniformity of uniform rule.” Subject to fines if he continued to wear them, he occasionally did and the demand for that version and others in the Air Jordan line was unprecedented.

He also had a clause in his contract that allowed him, unlike most other NBA players, to play basketball anytime in the off-season — known as the “love-of-the-game clause.”

He dangled his tongue out of his mouth — picked up from observing his dad working on mechanical devices — as he levitated toward the basket and it became one of his first trademarks in personal style. He continued to wear the shorts of his beloved North Carolina basketball uniform under his Bulls uniform. This may have led him to wear longer game shorts although he has said that the extra length allowed him to bend at the waist and tug at the hem for a good resting position. Either way, the trend toward the baggy shorts was started and the entire league and sport would follow.

The rookie’s mesmerizing effect was even suggested to have extended to referees as it was said that he was getting veteran preferential treatment allowing him to take that additional step on route to the basket rather than being whistle for a travelling violation. Many assessed that he eluded defenders so easily that he had to be travelling. However, video break down established that his first step was just so quick and that he was not in violation of the rulebook.

Despite all the attention, Jordan retained a sense of humility. He did not ridicule the Blazers for not taking him. Early on in his first season, he told Sports Illustrated, “He [Bowie] fits in better than I would. They have an overabundance of big guards and small forwards.” His self-effacement was more apparent when in that same article he said, “I’d like to play in at least one All-Star game.”

Check out some rarely seen highlights from Michael Jordan’s career.

That goal was quickly accomplished as later that season he was voted a starter to the 1985 All-Star East squad. There, he probably faced one of his first professional obstacles. The media ran with the idea that Eastern All-Star teammate Detroit Pistons’ Isiah Thomas, had led a “freeze-out” of the golden rookie limiting his opportunities to score by not passing him the ball.

Jordan scored seven points in 22 minutes and was left to face questions concerning the alleged conspiracy. The affair grew a life of its own over the years, but Thomas refuted such accusations. The whole ordeal would come full circle when Thomas, as the coach of the 2003 East All-Star squad, persuaded Toronto Raptors’ Vince Carter to relinquish his starting role to Jordan in his last midseason classic.

Three games into his second season, he broke a bone in his left foot. He was voted to the All-Star team but could not play as he was sidelined for 64 games. However, he came back late in the year to score a NBA playoff-record 63 points in a first-round game against the Celtics. The Bulls lost that game 132-131 in double-overtime and the series in a sweep, but Jordan averaged 43.7 ppg in the series. If there were any doubters to that point about Jordan’s ability, surely there were no more.

Starting with the 1986-87 season he began a career-long onslaught on the NBA record book. That year saw him average 37.1 points in the first of seven consecutive seasons in which he led the league in scoring and topped 30 points per contest. Jordan scored 40 or more points in nine consecutive games and 23 straight in one game to set an NBA record. At the All-Star Weekend, he won the first of two consecutive Slam Dunk competitions. However, again, the Celtics swept the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs

That offseason, the Bulls began assembling a championship caliber team by drafting power forward Horace Grant and acquiring the versatile small forward Scottie Pippen from tiny Central Arkansas in a draft day trade with the Seattle SuperSonics for former University of Virgina center Olden Polyinice. In 1987-88, Jordan won every major award including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star MVP. With the help of his teammates, Jordan led the Bulls to a first-round playoff win over the Cleveland Cavaliers before falling to the Pistons in five games in the conference semifinals.

The Pistons, known as the “Bad Boys” for their aggressive style of play, would defeat Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals in the next two seasons as well. Utilizing a defensive scheme developed by head coach Chuck Daly and his staff known as the “Jordan Rules”, the Pistons dared Jordan to single-handily win games with constant double and triple teaming. The Bulls, however, were nudging to a championship as each successive season the team would get closer.

In the 1988-89 season, perhaps Jordan’s best statistical campaign, he led the league with 32.5 ppg, was 10th in assists with a career high 8.0 apg and had a career high 8.0 rpg. He also ranked third in steals with 2.89 per game. Jordan propelled the Bulls past the Cavs in the first round of the playoffs in the decisive Game 5, scoring the memorable buzzer-beater floating jumper over Craig Ehlo for a 101-100 victory.

Prior to the beginning of the 1989-90 season, Sports Illustrated published an article on Jordan’s emerging golf game and his thoughts about joining the PGA Tour after his NBA career was over. Chicago management, however, was making other moves.

That offseason, the Bulls let go head coach Doug Collins and hired Phil Jackson. Under Jackson’s leadership, the Bulls instituted the triangle offense — a fluid passing and cutting system that created opportunities for all five players on the floor to score. But when the play broke down and the shot clock waned, Jordan had free reign to create his own shot.

The Bulls went 55-27 that season, the franchise’s best record since 1971-72. Jordan set his career game-high in points with 69 against the Cavs in a 117-113 overtime win. He also emerged as a 3-point threat, posting 37.6% — 100 percentage points above his previous best. However, the Pistons defeated the Bulls in a tough seven-game series in the 1990 Eastern Conference finals.

That third consecutive playoff defeat to the Pistons prompted many to think out loud that a scoring champion like Jordan could not lead his team to a title.

Were they ever wrong. The next year, Jordan led the Bulls as the team waltzed through the postseason, losing only twice en route to the franchise’s first NBA title. The redemptive blow was the sweep of the Pistons in the conference finals. And after losing the first game at home to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, the Bulls stormed back to win four straight to end the last remnants of the “Showtime” Lakers as Magic Johnson would retire before the beginning of the next season. Jordan averaged 31.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 8.4 apg, earning the first of six NBA Finals MVP awards.

Jordan, who by now shaved his head completely bald, triggering another trend and making him recognizable by just the dark rounded silhouette of his head, was now known as a champion. He was also known to be ultra-demanding of his teammates, ruffling more than a few feathers with his critiques. But winning was the soothing elixir. The Bulls would go on to successfully defend their title for two consecutive seasons, defeating both Drexler and the Blazers and the Charles Barkley-led Phoenix Suns in six games.

By the end of that three-year run, Jordan had eclipsed stardom and approached folk hero status. Early into his career, he drew Peter Pan-like admiration for his gravity defying leaps and belief that he would remain youthful forever. However, during the three-peat, players and teams seemed to concede that the title was Jordan.

Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan squared off in the 1992 Finals.

In the 1992 Finals, Jordan opened up Game 1 with a record setting 35-point first-half performance to lead the Bulls to a 122-89 rout. Jordan seemed unstoppable as he drained several 3-pointers over Blazer defenders and after one made three he shrugged his shoulders as if to say, I don’t even know what’s going on here. The Blazers bounced back and seemed poised to force a Game 7 as they took a 79-64 lead into the fourth quarter of Game 6. However, the Bulls roared back for a 97-93 series-clinching win.

That summer, Jordan was the key figure in forming the Dream Team that competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The 12-member roster, full of the era’s best players, were respected as basketball royalty by its opponents, whom they outclassed on the way to the gold medal and idolized like pop icons by the world’s fans.

In 1993, Jordan led the Bulls past the Patrick Ewing-led Knicks for the fourth time in five postseasons — this time in the Eastern Conference finals in six games without the home court advantage. Jordan scored 54 points in a 105-95 Game 4 win. And in the series’ turning point that was Game 5, Jordan recorded a triple-double (29 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists). But the crucial play was the Bulls’ successive blocks of putback attempts by the Knicks’ Charles Smith in the final seconds that allowed the Bulls to escape the Garden with a 97-94 win. The Bulls sealed the series with a 96-88 victory in Game 6.

In the Finals, Jordan set a Finals record as he posted a 41.0 ppg average in the six-game series victory over the Suns. In the decisive Game 6, the Bulls again stormed back to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit. This time, Jordan scored nine straight points down the stretch. leading to John Paxson’s game-winning 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds on the clock for a 98-97 victory.

But trouble was brewing. Jordan was under scrutiny for what was thought to be poor decisions with respect to his gambling endeavors. But that paled in comparison to the loss of his father who was murdered during an armed robbery. His father was Jordan’s main confidant whom could be seen with his son on a regular basis as he climbed the ladder of success.

Emotionally drained and seeking new challenges, just one day before the start of training camp, Jordan stunned the basketball world by announcing his retirement.

Relive the storylines and moments from MJ’s return in 1995.

After much speculation about his plans, Jordan returned to the spotlight in a baseball uniform. Attempting to fulfill a dream inspired by his father, the younger Jordan set his sights on Major League Baseball. He spent the 1994 baseball season playing for the Birmingham Barons, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in the Class AA Southern League.

He was a competent if unspectacular performer. But Jordan’s hope of reaching the big leagues seemed dim, and with Major League Baseball embroiled in a labor dispute as the 1995 season neared, he focused his competitive fire back on the NBA. Late in the 1994-95 NBA season, he came out of retirement with the succinct statement: “I’m Back.”

He was back, albeit with the unorthodox No. 45 as he wanted to leave No. 23 behind, and attempted to carry the Bulls to another title. Jordan averaged 26.9 points in 17 regular-season games, which the Bulls played to a record of 13-4.

The most memorable game of the initial comeback occurred six games in when he scored 55 points against the Knicks in the Garden. That game, dubbed “Double Nickel,” was extraordinary in that a new Jordan emerged. Robbed of his youthful bounce at age 32, he turned primarily to fadeaway jump shots and spinning layups. And in the waning moments of a tie game, he drew attention as he dribbled around the perimeter and passed to a wide-open Bill Wennington under the basket for the winning points in a 113-111 victory.

His coach, Jackson, in the aftermath said, “It’s rare that players can live quite up to New York. I’ve seen a lot of them fall flat on their faces because of the pressure to perform there. But he had the whole evening in the palm of his hand. Sometimes the game just seems to gravitate into his grasp.”

In the playoffs, he poured in 31.5 ppg. But despite Jordan’s presence in the lineup, the Bulls didn’t have quite enough to get past the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals. Chicago lost to the Shaquille O’Neal-led Magic in six games.

Jordan’s championship quest was fulfilled the following season with almost a whole new band of players than in his first title runs. He began the season with his old No. 23 uniform but only his sidekick Pippen remaining from the first three championship teams. The Bulls added Dennis Rodman, an enigmatic player but a rebounding and defensive phenom.

Relive the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ historic 72-10 season.

The team enjoyed one of the most remarkable years ever posted by any club. Jordan led the NBA with 30.4 ppg as the Bulls charged to a record 72 victories during the regular season, then stormed through the playoffs with a 15-3 record ending in a six-game Finals win over the Sonics.

Poignantly, Jordan recaptured the title on Father’s Day and cradled the ball after the decisive game in a heap on the floor of the United Center, which replaced Chicago Stadium during his retirement, unabashedly crying. The emotional impact of the moment was overwhelming.

Along the way, Jordan captured the MVP awards for the regular season, All-Star Game and Finals, joining Willis Reed (1970) as the only men to win all three honors in the same season.

Although he had relinquished the MVP award to Karl Malone in 1996-97, Jordan was awarded MVP in 1997-98 and again led the Bulls to the NBA championship with a satisfying six-game victory over Malone’s Utah Jazz. Despite a horrible case of stomach flu in a critical Game 5, he would not let his team lose. He scored 38 points and the Bulls won the game and then the title at home in Game 6. He was also named the NBA Finals MVP for the fifth time.

The final shot Michael Jordan took in a Bulls uniform was perhaps his most memorable moment.

At the turn of the 21st century, ESPN conducted an expansive survey of media members, athletes and others associated with the sports world to rank the 20th century’s greatest athletes. Jordan topped the list above Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali — substantiating his link to those earlier cultural icons.

In 2009, Jordan was immortalized in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as the headliner of a class that also included NBA legends John Stockton, David Robinson and Jerry Sloan. One year later, Jordan added another accomplishment to his storied career.

Since 2006, Jordan held a minority ownership stake in the then-Charlotte Bobcats. In 2010, he was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors as the majority owner of the Bobcats, buying the team from then-owner Bob Johnson. Under Jordan, the Bobcats were eventually renamed the Hornets (starting in the 2014-15 season) to reunite the city with the nickname of its first NBA franchise.

Jordan has been deeply involved in the Charlotte community from a philanthropic perspective, donating millions of his dollars to various causes and charities in the community. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan opened a second Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic to help communities in the North End of Charlotte get the medical help they needed.

DENVER, CO – JANUARY 30: Philadelphia 76ers forward Julius Erving #6 dribbles the ball during an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets at McNichols Arena on January 30, 1977 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Mark Junge/Getty Images)

February 7, 1987. Seattle. Julius Erving is going through his last season and, at the All Star, a tribute is made. Two of the best bases in history are standing on a stage, microphone in between, and Magic Johnson asks Isiah Thomas a question, with his usual smile.

– What is the most incredible play or moment you have from Doctor J?

Isiah smiles, pauses and prepares to answer. “We were on a youth campus in Lansing (Michigan) when Julius took a ball and went to the other side of the court. He asked everyone, standing up, to applaud and to the beat of the palms he started to run. I swear I’m not lying (he smiles): he jumped from the free line, that’s what it looked like to me (laughs), he held himself in the air and there, stopped, it seemed that he told us ‘come on, clap, I’m going in the air’ and continued until he turned it over…”

In the face of exaggeration, Thomas can’t help the laughter that rumbles in the place and infect Magic while the audience applauds. The story summarizes how captivating Erving’s talent was but, at the same time, what it generated, with his style and charisma. Of those people who, over time, have managed to make their stories grow big until they seem (unlikely) children’s stories. We’re talking about a global superstar, a great player who won in two different leagues (two titles in the ABA and another in the NBA), but above all about a popular myth, a pure entertainer, a legend who moved from the streets to the professional leagues, capable of crowding the most famous playground in the world (Rucker Park) and, at the same time, fill stadiums and bring to another level of popularity to elite competitions, first the ABA and then the NBA. A player who changed the game like few others, the one responsible for taking a play (the dunk) to another dimension, a true basketball showman and owner of one of the best nicknames in history. Someone who left such a mark that ended up being responsible for many other boys, then superstars who followed his legacy, decided on basketball. “If Doctor J hadn’t existed, probably neither did Michael Jordan. And therefore, I would not have been a basketball player,” LeBron James summed up. That is the importance of this 2m01 forward whose legend is incredible, although his true story is even better.

Julius Winfield Erving II was born on February 22, 1950, in New York. In a lower-middle class family with three children. Julius Sr. and Callie Mae divorced when Julius was three years old and the difficult scenario was completed at seven, when dad died in a traffic accident. Hard times when Julius clung to his younger brother (Marvin), his friends and sports, occasionally to basketball. The Ervings lived on Long Island, across from Campbell Park, an open place that had basketball courts that Julius could see from his bedroom window. “It was the courtyard of our homes. We went every day, even if it rained or snowed,” she recalled four years ago, when she returned for her documentary and walked back to the beloved places she used to frequent.

Until one winter day in 1962, he and his best friend, Archie Rogers, couldn’t stand the cold, grabbed the bikes and went out in search of some indoor gym to play. “I remember, all of a sudden, I see two black boys coming in and asking permission to play. They were 12 years old. That’s how they started with us…” said Don Ryan, Doctor J’s first coach in the short film. “The point is that they were all white, except us. But, of course, we were kids, we all loved basketball and we didn’t feel racism at any time. We joined the team and started playing,” recalled Julius, who divided his time between sports, school and helping his mother around the house, especially with Marvin. “He was very smart, he loved to study and devoured books, but he was always sick. He had asthma, permanent rashes and had to be taken care of. I had to take on a role more of a father than an older brother,” he explained.

Si hay una jugada que lo define, ésa es la volcada (Getty Images)Bettmann | Bettmann Archive

At 13, when the family moved to Roosevelt, another neighborhood on Long Island, looking for a safer life, Julius entered Roosevelt High School, where he began to stand out and the nickname was born, which, over time, became better known than his full name. Leon Saunders, a colleague, was responsible. “I remember that in one training session we argued about a play and since he always complained, he said that I grabbed him, made foules, this and the other, I said ‘you always know them all, what are you, the teacher? ‘ , and he answered me. ‘And what about you, who are you the doctor, then? ‘” , Julius recounted. With a smile, Saunders completed the anecdote of that inside joke that sealed both their nicknames on fire: “From that day on every time we saw each other, I called him Professor and he called Doctor”.

For his senior year, Julius was a 1m90 base-guard who stood out at the high school level, but since it was a small school in the area, only one scout went to watch the matches. “I went to see it and rated it a 4, which is not bad for someone who didn’t have any previous grade. But it is clear that no one thought at the time that it would be so good,” said Howard Garfinkel, coach of the Five Star Basketball Camp. But Julius had a distinctive feature: in the playground, in street basketball so typical in NY, he was much better than in organized basketball. Every time he went to the paddocks, he seemed to be unleashed and took out all the tricks he had. In addition, in another rhythm of play and on the open court, he began to show those athletic conditions that would make him different. Little by little he began to transfer that talent with plays that showed how different it would be. “One day I remember that the defense attacked, saw space and jumped the free line. I closed my eyes, because I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but he just slipped into the air and turned it over, above everyone else. Julius acted like it was something normal, not great, and that’s when I talked to a friend I had at the University of Massachusetts to get him a scholarship,” admitted Ray Wilson, his coach at Roosevelt High School.

He arrived at UMass in 1968 and, quickly, in the first year, when Julius was already having a major impact on the NCAA (he averaged 18.2 points and 14.3 rebounds in his debut season), he received a call that dismayed him. “Marvin is not well, you must come home,” the mother told him. The younger brother had been diagnosed with Lupus — a disease that attacks the immune system — a while ago and had worsened in the last few hours. Leon Saunders, his partner, drove as fast as he could and Erving arrived to hear his brother’s last words. “I’m tired…” he said and left… “It was bleak, knowing that I would no longer have him by my side, that we would no longer do the beautiful things we used to do together,” he said. Only one positive thing can be highlighted from that tragedy: the motivation it generated. “From that day on, every time I played basketball again, I tried to carry his spirit with me,” he said.

That spirit took him to gyms and paddocks. Because, in his feeling, in his essence, there was competing but also having fun. To win but also to leave something, to entertain, to amuse, to turn the game into an art. And that’s what he did every time he visited Rucker Park, the most famous playground in NY, located on the corner of 155th and 8th streets, in the Harlem neighborhood. There, the show was as important as the result. Or even more. And, little by little, with Julius he began to forge the legend. “There was a lot of talk about him. ‘You’ll see when Julius comes, ‘they said to me and I asked ‘Who is it?’ If I play in the NBA and I don’t know him,” said Tom Hoover. But this 2m06 pivot wing, who between 1963 and 1968 played in the NBA and ABA, experienced firsthand who was that animal that captivated all of NY. “I was standing under the hoop when he penetrated and flipped the ball on me. So hard that the ball hit my head and a tooth fell out. I remember the roar of people as I bent down to look for the tooth…”, he laughed.

On every play, Erving left his stamp, doing things that no one had ever seen and no one has been able to forget since. We talked about ending alley oops launched from the middle of the court, about penetrations through the final line ending in dunks, about counterattacks ended with sunks that left the board moving… They immediately began to give it nicknames. First they told him the Little Falcon, then the Claw (The Claw), even Houdini and the Black Moses, but one day Erving got tired and went to the announcer to tell him what he wanted. “If you’re going to name me in any way, call me the Doctor,” Irving said. An ideal nickname that was completed when the presenter came up with the ideal phrase to sell any Julius Erving show: “The Doctor will operate tonight”.

Doctor J con la 6 de Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Mark Junge/Getty Images)Mark Junge | Getty Images

Each presentation of his was, really, a real work of art and popularity grew to generate an expectation never seen again. “Since the place didn’t have enough capacity for such a boom, people would climb onto the roof of the school next door, to the trees or to the bridge in front. Everything to see him. Erving gathered the largest audience in the history of this playground during the Rucker Pro League. There were people who didn’t see well but wanted to be in the same place as him,” said none other than Nate Archibald, a full-fledged New Yorker, used to Rucker and, since 1970, an NBA superstar — champion in 1981. This is how the legend of Doctor J was built, also on the streets…

Those intense summers, in NY, prepared him for organized basketball, since 1968 at the NCAA. He spent three seasons at UMass, where he became a figure, being today one of six players in history who averaged at least 20 points (26 if any) and 20 rebounds in his college career. But, of course, the basketball world still didn’t know what it expected… At that time, the NCAA was still banned from the dunk, the secret weapon that the Doctor would soon dust off… But it would not be in the NBA, which at that time had banned picking players in the draft who had not completed the four college years. As the ABA decided to authorize it, precisely to steal the best young talent from its competitor, Julius made the decision to sign a four-year, $500,000 contract with Virginia Squires. In that team and, above all, in that tournament, the all-terrain forward would find the ideal setting to play his spectacular game.

The ABA was created in 1967 to compete with the NBA and quickly found its identity. The game was very different, faster and “street”. Entertainment was prioritized in every way, with the incorporation of women cheerleaders and even a tricolor ball (red, blue and white) that remained in the collective memory of the fan. That is why we welcome — and sought after — those players who are fearless, capable of creating and making eye-catching plays. The goal was to amuse people and, for a few years — seven the ABA lasted — the goal was achieved, even allowing college or high school players to reach the league. All for the show. And the standard-bearer of that game was Erving, who deployed his entire repertoire. His every move lifted people from the seats and although he already had a nickname, some called him Thomas Edison, after the scientist, because “every night he invents something new on the court”.

Since the first season, when he averaged 27.3 points, 15.7 rebounds and 4 assists, he blew everyone away. They were not times of viralizable videos, like today. But, little by little, the comment “here is a boy who is the most incredible thing I saw in my life” began to gain national fame, reaching the offices of the NBA, whose managers made an attempt (with no luck) to get him out of the ABA. “My brother was in the Navy, in Virginia, and he kept saying that to me,” recalled Darryl Dawkins, a pivot who would later be Erving’s teammate in the NBA.

Doctor J llevó la volcada a otra dimensión, convirtiéndola en un arte, en un recurso hermoso que era aplaudido por todos y levantaba al hincha de su asiento. (Getty Images)Bettmann | Bettmann Archive

If there is one play that defines it, that is the dunk. Of course, Erving wasn’t the first to do it, far from it. We are not talking about the inventor, but we are talking about who, with his plasticity, creativity and power, took this action to another level. And we are talking about the play that symbolizes the American game and, we could say, basketball itself. The most spectacular and iconic one, the one that everyone loves, the one that attracts the public that is not purely of that sport. This ending was born as something of few. Or the pivots, a brute action and often not well seen, reserved for taller men.

But Doctor J took it to another dimension, turning it into an art, a beautiful resource that was applauded by all and lifted the fan from his seat. Erving made it aesthetic. And popular. And, along the way, allowing new terms, such as posterizar (leaving someone on the poster, in the photo), which was invented to define the dunks he did in the face of rivals, even ending up above them. His warm-up prior to the games in Virginia, with income to the basket ending in dunks, became a must see — “you can’t miss it” -, as is now the case with Stephen Curry, his ball handling exercises and kilometre throws. More than once a coach asked him how he had come up with a dunk and Julius replied that he had dreamed it the night before and that was the first time he did it. This is also how the word slam was born, when the press of the time had to use a term to adapt to this forward that marked an era. Something he would ratify in 1976, winning an epic dunk tournament, before the demise of the ABA and his departure to the NBA.

In Virginia he spent only two years because in 1972 he was involved in a legal dispute between several teams, after he was declared eligible by the NBA and Milwaukee Bucks chose him in the draft to form a trio that could have been epic, with Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, who had just won the championship. Atlanta Hawks, the other involved, had signed him a pre-draft contract and in fact Erving went to his preseason camp and played three friendlies. The NBA fined the Hawks and gave them the right to incorporate the Bucks, but a ruling by a US federal judge forced him to return to the ABA. Since Virginia couldn’t afford what Erving demanded, he was transferred to the NY Nets in exchange for $750,000 and two players. For him, it was the return home. “I am delighted to pursue my career in my city,” he said at the presentation at Colliseum Nassau, on Long Island, blocks from where he had lived and that, suddenly, it would become the theater where everyone wanted to go to see the great Doctor Erving.

Since his debut, in October 1973, the small forward was the main attraction of the team and became the image of the competition. For its style and aesthetics. In the 70s, Doctor J was the paradigm of cool. Because of his afro hair, his game and even his hands, so big that it looked like he was carrying an orange — instead of a ball — and that added spectacularity to every action… He could do whatever he wanted, he moved it from one side to the other, he ran it when he was going to tip… “Julius became a cult figure, everyone wanted to see him,” recalls Rod Thorn, assistant to the Nets until 1975.

Erving also won. All sorts of awards and titles, since his first campaign in the Nets: top scorer (27.4), MVP —he won it three years in a row- and champion —he would repeat in 1976-. “You watched him play and you were shaking your head, they couldn’t believe what you saw,” says George Gervin, another ABA star, who participated in that memorable dunk tournament that Erving won in 1976, before the disappearance of the competition and the passage of both to the NBA. Larry Kenon, Artis Gilmore and David Thompson, all remaining tippers in history, were in that contest in which Doctor J deployed his entire arsenal, starting with a dunk with two balls and ending with the legendary action that Michael Jordan would later perfect — and popularize globally — in 1988: the dunk jumping from the line of free throws.

With Erving already becoming a popular idol who was on his way to having his own model of sneakers and commercials, there was a union between the ABA and the NBA, generating a new legal dispute around the player. Four teams moved from one competition to another, including the New York Nets, but the Knicks felt it was an invasion of their commercial territory and sued the Nets for 4.8 million. The new franchise also failed to fulfill the promise of salary increase for its star, who declared himself in absentia and warned that he would not play anymore. The Nets, in order not to lose him for anything, offered it to the Knicks. What did a franchise expert in making mistakes do? He committed the worst in his history: he refused the offer and thus let in a generational talent pass, who was a local idol and was still in the prime of his career. The one who took advantage of it was Philadelphia 76ers, who bought the contract and compensated the Nets, an expenditure of six million that absolutely paid off in the following years… Doctor J would play for the next 11 seasons in Philadelphia, becoming an idol of the city and an essential piece of a team that always fought up and ended up achieving glory — and the title, of course — in 1983, after losing three finals.

Doctor J con 72 años en el partido de las estrellas de la NBA USA TODAY Sports

Precisely, in his first definition, in 1977, against Portland, he made a move that he had made so many times before and that summed up the jewel that the NBA had achieved: in a counterattack he went straight to the hoop, regardless that Bill Walton, the 2m11 red giant who specialized in tapas, was measuring it. He jumped and flipped it over him, generating one of the dunks to remember in history. It was in the first game of a final that Philadelphia started winning 2-0 and lost 4-2. That was not the only mythical move he was reminded of. In the 1980 finals, against the Lakers, he made an action that is still described today as “impossible”: the so-called Baseline Move, in which he runs the baseline in the air, with the ball in his right hand and, to avoid the cover of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he gets to put his hand and ball behind the board to last moment, make a move and leave the tray with board. Erving’s photos with much of his body behind the hoop confirm the difficulty of the play. A final that the 76ers would lose again, but that would leave several highlights of Doctor J, like two dunks in the face of Kareem, 2m18.

The rematch would come three years later, again in a duel against the Lakers. Julius was 33 years old but his legs were still prodigious. In that definition, the legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn named Rock the Baby that historic talk about Michael Cooper. The forward stole a ball and ran the court. When he was about to reach the hoop, he pulled the ball from his waist, took it between his hand and forearm, and took off. Cooper jumped to try to cover up but in the air he realized it would be impossible and hid his hands when the buried one exploded in the net to the delirium of a crowded Spectrum stadium. In that season, the Sixers won 67 of 82 games in the regular phase and barely lost one game in the playoffs (12-1), with a still brilliant Erving, being a more comprehensive player (21.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals), and receiving more help than ever, from Maurice Cheeks (point guard), Moses Malone (pivot) and Andrew Toney (guard)).

Along the way, in addition to his father and younger brother, he lost his older sister—to cancer at 37, when he was 34-, later his mother and son, Cory, 19, in a car accident, one of four offspring he had with his first wife, Turquoise, to whom he was married for 31 years (1972-2003). In 1999 he admitted to having a daughter, the famous tennis player Alexandra Stevenson, with the sports journalist, Samantha, whom he privately recognized since birth but only publicly 19 years later. In 2003, he had another child out of wedlock with a woman named Dorys Madden, a new conflict that led to the divorce with Turquoise. With Madden, he later had two other descendants and they both married in 2008. He himself admitted to having an addiction for the opposite sex. “I lost my mind to women and I’ve come to bet on how many I could have sex on consecutive nights,” he said in an exercise of brutal sincerity. Already retired, he also fulfilled a promise to his mother, receiving him at the university. He then managed businesses at NASCAR, Orlando Magic and even Coca Cola.

Erving played four more seasons, always in the 76ers, until his retirement, in 1987, at the age of 37, in a final season in which each stadium filled up to see the last performance of the great Doctor J. Thus he closed an epic trajectory that included 11 All Star elections (16 counting the ABA) and averages of 24.2 points (8th highest scorer if we add both competitions), 8.5 recovers and 4.5 goal passes. “I wanted to be like him,” Jordan admitted. “We all wanted to be like him,” Dominique Wilkins, another of the great tippers who came after Doctor J. “I often wondered how he did what he did,” added George Gervin. “We saw him as an alien, as an alien,” admitted Pat Riley. Perhaps because it is another era, without social networks, of course, with little TV and competitions without media reach, such as street basketball, or with very little, like the ABA, Julius Erving does not receive enough credit. Or the one he deserves. But those who saw it, those who paid a ticket, those who went to the playgrounds, teammates and rivals, know what we’re talking about. He was the one who flew before Jordan, the one who made the fans stand up, the one who stood up, the one who left rivals speechless, the one who made notes that nobody thought possible, the guy with wave and charisma. That was all Julius Erving. The unforgettable Doctor J.

Bσstσ𝚗 Cеltιcs stаɾ, Jаysσ𝚗 Tаtum, ɾеcе𝚗tly tσσƙ tσ sσcιаl mеԀιа tσ sҺаɾе а𝚗 е𝚗Ԁеаɾι𝚗ɡ ɡlιmρsе ι𝚗tσ Һιs lιfе bеyσ𝚗Ԁ tҺе bаsƙеtbаll cσuɾt. TҺе 24-yеаɾ-σlԀ fσɾwаɾԀ, ƙ𝚗σw𝚗 fσɾ Һιs Ԁаzzlι𝚗ɡ sƙιlls а𝚗Ԁ scσɾι𝚗ɡ ρɾσwеss, ρɾσᴠιԀеԀ fа𝚗s wιtҺ а Һеаɾtwаɾmι𝚗ɡ ᴠιеw σf а sρеcιаl wσɾƙσut sеssισ𝚗 wιtҺ Һιs yσu𝚗ɡ sσ𝚗.

I𝚗 а𝚗 I𝚗stаɡɾаm ρσst tҺаt quιcƙly cаρtuɾеԀ tҺе Һеаɾts σf Һιs fσllσwеɾs, Tаtum ρσstеԀ а sеɾιеs σf ρҺσtσs а𝚗Ԁ ᴠιԀеσs sҺσwcаsι𝚗ɡ а fаtҺеɾ-sσ𝚗 wσɾƙσut ɾσutι𝚗е. TҺе ιmаɡеs Ԁеριct tҺе NBA stа𝚗Ԁσut ɡuιԀι𝚗ɡ Һιs lιttlе σ𝚗е tҺɾσuɡҺ ᴠаɾισus еxеɾcιsеs, Ԁɾιbblι𝚗ɡ Ԁɾιlls, а𝚗Ԁ ρlаyful bаsƙеtbаll mσᴠеs.

TҺе wσɾƙσut sеssισ𝚗 wаs𝚗’t just аbσut bаsƙеtbаll sƙιlls; ιt wаs а Һеаɾtе𝚗ι𝚗ɡ Ԁιsρlаy σf quаlιty tιmе sρе𝚗t tσɡеtҺеɾ, fσstеɾι𝚗ɡ а lσᴠе fσɾ tҺе ɡаmе wҺιlе stɾе𝚗ɡtҺе𝚗ι𝚗ɡ tҺеιɾ bσ𝚗Ԁ. Tаtum’s ԀеԀιcаtισ𝚗 tσ bσtҺ Һιs fаmιly а𝚗Ԁ Һιs cɾаft sҺι𝚗еs tҺɾσuɡҺ ι𝚗 tҺеsе tσucҺι𝚗ɡ mσmе𝚗ts sҺаɾеԀ wιtҺ Һιs sσ𝚗.

As а ρɾσfеssισ𝚗аl аtҺlеtе, Jаysσ𝚗 Tаtum Һаs ɾеаcҺеԀ ι𝚗cɾеԀιblе ҺеιɡҺts ι𝚗 Һιs cаɾееɾ, еаɾ𝚗ι𝚗ɡ multιρlе NBA All-Stаɾ sеlеctισ𝚗s а𝚗Ԁ bеcσmι𝚗ɡ а cσɾ𝚗еɾstσ𝚗е fσɾ tҺе Bσstσ𝚗 Cеltιcs. Hσwеᴠеɾ, bеyσ𝚗Ԁ tҺе аɾе𝚗а’s bɾιɡҺt lιɡҺts, Һе tɾеаsuɾеs tҺе sιmρlе jσys σf ρаɾе𝚗tҺσσԀ а𝚗Ԁ tҺе σρρσɾtu𝚗ιty tσ ι𝚗stιll tҺе ᴠаluеs σf ҺаɾԀ wσɾƙ а𝚗Ԁ ԀеԀιcаtισ𝚗 ι𝚗 tҺе 𝚗еxt ɡе𝚗еɾаtισ𝚗.

Tаtum’s fа𝚗s а𝚗Ԁ fеllσw аtҺlеtеs wеɾе quιcƙ tσ sҺσwеɾ Һιm wιtҺ ρɾаιsе fσɾ bеι𝚗ɡ а lσᴠι𝚗ɡ fаtҺеɾ а𝚗Ԁ sеttι𝚗ɡ а ρσsιtιᴠе еxаmρlе bσtҺ σ𝚗 а𝚗Ԁ σff tҺе bаsƙеtbаll cσuɾt. TҺеsе ɡlιmρsеs ι𝚗tσ tҺе ρеɾsσ𝚗аl lιᴠеs σf sρσɾts stаɾs ɾеmι𝚗Ԁ us tҺаt, аt tҺе е𝚗Ԁ σf tҺе Ԁаy, tҺеy аɾе аlsσ ρаɾе𝚗ts, ρаɾt𝚗еɾs, а𝚗Ԁ ɾσlе mσԀеls, sҺаɾι𝚗ɡ sρеcιаl mσmе𝚗ts wιtҺ tҺеιɾ lσᴠеԀ σ𝚗еs.

Jаysσ𝚗 Tаtum’s cσmmιtmе𝚗t tσ Һιs fаmιly а𝚗Ԁ Һιs ρаssισ𝚗 fσɾ bаsƙеtbаll cσ𝚗tι𝚗uе tσ ι𝚗sριɾе fа𝚗s, sҺσwcаsι𝚗ɡ tҺаt succеss ιs 𝚗σt just аbσut wι𝚗𝚗ι𝚗ɡ σ𝚗 tҺе cσuɾt but аlsσ аbσut 𝚗uɾtuɾι𝚗ɡ mеа𝚗ι𝚗ɡful cσ𝚗𝚗еctισ𝚗s а𝚗Ԁ lеаԀι𝚗ɡ by еxаmρlе.

Do not overreact to Boston’s 111-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Let us not underreact, either.

It was a bad loss. The East’s No. 1 seed, which won a league-best 64 games and is facing the No. 8 seed, which was barely above.500 during the regular season and is missing its best player (Jimmy Butler) and another great scorer (Terry Rozier), should not lose Game 2 at home.

But the Celtics did. This happens. Regardless of who is on the court for the Heat, last I looked, they are still paid professionals and among the finest basketball players in the world, driven by a strong competitive spirit.

Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat is perhaps the NBA’s top coach. Center Bam Adebayo is a finalist for defensive player of the year. The roster is loaded with postseason veterans, including last season’s journey to the NBA Finals. They’re not the Washington Generals.

To win the Celtics by ten points, the Heat had to make a playoff franchise-record 23 3-pointers and shoot a scorching 53.5% on threes. It’s difficult to win a game when your opponent makes so many threes at such a high percentage.

So, after dominating Game 1, the Celtics struggled in Game 2. What is more important than the Game 2 setback is what happens in Game 3 on Saturday in Miami (6 p.m. ET, TNT).

According to the most important metrics – wins and losses, offensive and defensive efficiency – the Celtics are a better team this season than last, and the signings of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have contributed to that. Jayson Tatum is on track for another All-NBA selection, and Jaylen Brown is an All-Star.

The Heat have a 12-10 postseason record versus the Celtics since 2019. While making 23 three-pointers per game is hardly a sustainable formula for success, the Heat have made 14 or more threes nine times in playoff games versus Boston.

However, the focus here is on how the Celtics respond and improve their offensive and defensive performance. They need greater ball movement and execution while limiting Adebayo’s defensive influence. And they can’t let Tyler Herro (and the pick-and-roll with Adebayo) dominate, as he did, accounting for 62 of Miami’s points. He scored 24 points and contributed 14 assists, totaling 38 points.

In the Western Conference, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder performed admirably, defeating the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans 124-92 in Game 2 following a nail-biting Game 1.

The Celtics must win Game 3. Boston’s playoff test arrived earlier than planned against the shorthanded Heat, and the Celtics may benefit from this situation.

That means they can’t afford to fall behind 2-1 in the series and let even the slightest hint of doubt creep in against Miami, which defeated the Celtics in the conference finals last season, winning Game 7 in Boston.

The Celtics do not want such tension in the first round.