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Before the NBA turned the dunk into a nightly highlight package, there was a time when seeing a player rise above the rim could genuinely stop an entire arena in its tracks. Few players understood that better than dunk icon Julius Erving.
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Dr. J helped transform dunking from a spectacular way to finish a play into an art form in its own right. His combination of size, athleticism, grace and creativity made his dunks feel different from what came before him.
That’s why Erving has always viewed the evolution of dunking from a slightly different perspective. He appreciates what today’s players could do, but he also believes something has been lost.
“Today, players are jumping over cars and dunking,” Erving once said in 2014. “It has been pushed to the limit. But back then, there was something about the dunk that surprised people. Startled them almost.”
“And I used to do that a lot – startle people – when I held those clinics for Converse,” he shared. “I would always finish the clinics with a dunk show.”
Nothing beats the original
For Erving, that ability to leave people stunned was a big part of what made dunking special. The irony is that Doc was one of the players who helped make the unimaginable dunk expected.
Julius’ famous ABA and NBA finishes became part of his identity, while his performance in the first ABA Slam Dunk Contest in 1976 further cemented his place in dunking history.
Nearly five decades later, the ABA is gone, but the dunk contest remains one of the most highly anticipated events in the NBA. However, Dr. J doesn’t believe today’s dunks have quite the same shock factor they had in the inaugural dunk contest.
“I would say that dunking remains an art form, and the fans still love it,” Doc assessed. “But it probably doesn’t have the shock value that it had when I did it back in the Slam Dunk contest in 1976.”
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Dr. J was chosen to make history
There seems to be another reason why Erving remembers the 1976 dunk contest so fondly. He believes he didn’t just participate in the event. Julius was the man who was supposed to win it.
For Dr. J, the apparent decision to make him the winner was just right. Not because he was being boastful, but because his victory helped give the event the staying power it eventually developed.
“I think, maybe, rightfully so, you know, I was the guy designated to win that back in ’76,” Doc said on SiriusXM. “For it to last as long as it has, it’s like 50 years and whatever. And if he [Thompson] had won it, maybe it wouldn’t have had the longevity. You know, it’s not the same.”
For sure, many would disagree with Erving, especially those who were entertained when Blake Griffin jumped over the hood of a car. Perhaps, today’s dunkers are capable of performing stuff that Dr. J never imagined.
That only stresses Erving’s point. When something extraordinary becomes ordinary, it inevitably loses some of its shock. Or maybe, The Doctor isn’t just a fan of props and gimmicks when it comes to dunking.
Related: How Julius Erving turned routine ABA nights into unforgettable entertainment: “Every game I’m watching was like going to a circus”
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