Julius Erving

He is one of the few players in modern basketball to have his number retired by two franchises: the New Jersey Nets (formerly New York Nets) have retired his No. In 1929 due to tensions between gangs in Chicago, members of a gang led by Al Capone killed several members of Bugs Moran's gang in what became known as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. Erving retired at age 37. Starting in the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving fine jewelry. In 1986, he announced that he would retire after the season, causing every basketball game he played to be sold out and packed with adoring fans. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates. Erving continued his all-star caliber play into his twilight years, averaging 22.4, 20.0, 18.1, and 16.8 points per game in his final seasons. In the United States in the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to include the giving of all manner of gifts, usually from a man to a woman.

Armed with one of the most lethal center-forward combinations of all time, the Sixers easily won the NBA crown in 1983. (Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual "Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary".). But then, the Sixers obtained the missing link to combat their weakness at their center position, Moses Malone. Her father operated a large book and stationery store, and she took her inspiration from an English valentine she had received. Nevertheless, Erving was named the NBA MVP in 1981. In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828 – 1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts. 1981 and 1982 were also sour grapes for Erving, as the Sixers stranded twice, once against the Celtics and once again against the Lakers. Valentine's Day was probably imported into North America in the 19th century with settlers from Britain.

However, the Lakers won 4-2 with a superb Magic Johnson. In most versions of these legends, February 14 is the date associated with his martyrdom. There, Erving executed the legendary Baseline Move, an incredible behind-the-board reverse layup and one of the most spectacular basketball moves ever. Among the legends are ones that assert that:. In 1980 the 76ers prevailed over the Celtics, and went to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Valentine were invented during this period. Dr J matchup became the top personal rivalry in the sport, even inspiring the early video game Julius Erving-Larry Bird One-on-One. It is probable that many of the legends about St.

In 1979-1980 Larry Bird had entered the league, reviving the Boston Celtics and the storied Celtics-76ers rivalry; these two teams would face each other in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next four years, and the Bird vs. A 14th century valentine is said to be in the collection of the British Library. In the following years, Erving had to cope with the fact that he himself was a stellar player, but his team simply needed time to grow; they were eliminated twice in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It was common during that era for lovers to exchange notes on this day and to call each other their "Valentines". However, Erving enjoyed success off the court, becoming one of the first ballers to endorse products and became one of the games' first players to have a shoe marketed under his name. This belief is mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's Parlement of Foules (1381). After taking a 2-0 lead, the Blazers defeated the Sixers with four straight victories. Valentine's Day with romantic love was in the 14th century in England and France, where February 14 was traditionally the day on which birds paired off to mate.

Erving quickly became the leading man of his new club and led them into the NBA Finals against the Portland Trailblazers of Bill Walton. The first recorded association of St. After the merger of the Nets and three other surviving teams into the NBA, Erving had a salary dispute with the Nets and eventually was sold to the Philadelphia 76ers (a move that cost the Nets franchise, soon to relocate to New Jersey, dearly in terms of lost credibility). Hoeller assesses Valentinius on the subject : "In addition to baptism, anointing, eucharist, the initiation of priests and the rites of the dying, the Valentinian Gnosis mentions prominently two great and mysterious sacraments called "redemption" (apolytrosis) and "bridal chamber" respectively" [1]. In his five ABA seasons Erving had won two championships, three MVP trophies, and three scoring titles. Stephan A. In the postseason, Erving averaged 34.7 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the playoffs. In his teachings, the marriage bed assumed a central place in his version of Christian love, an emphasis sharply in contrast with the asceticism of mainstream Christianity.

The Erving-led Nets defeated the Denver Nuggets in the swansong finals of the ABA. The influential Gnostic teacher Valentinius was a candidate for Bishop of Rome in 143. By 1976, the ABA was failing under financial pressure. Valentine's Day as an official holiday from its calendar. His unusual and highly spectacular play single-handedly gave the league fans and credibility. In 1969, as part of a larger effort to pare down the number of saint days of purely legendary origin, the Church removed St. More important than that, Erving established himself not only as the most important Nets player, but as the most important ABA player. Valentine were donated by Pope Gregory XVI to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, which has become a popular place of pilgrimage on February 14.

Erving had won his first ABA title. In the 19th century, relics of St. Erving led the Nets to the ABA Finals against the Utah Stars and vanquished them. There is a widespread legend that he created the day to counter the practice held on Lupercalia of young men and women pairing off as lovers by drawing their names out of an urn, but this practice is not attested in any sources from that era. Erving was traded to the New York Nets in 1973. Valentine was first declared to be on February 14 by Pope Gelasius I in 496. The graceful forward with the trademark Afro was dazzling people with his flashy, exciting style of play, which fit well in the ABA's up-tempo image. The feast of St.

There, his game flourished, and he achieved a career-best 31.9 points per game. Valentine and romantic love is not mentioned in any early histories and is regarded by secular historians as purely a matter of legend (see below). However, he was unhappy there and tried to move to the Atlanta Hawks, until due to legal injunction, he was obliged to return to the Squires in the ABA. The connection between St. This move would have brought him together with two other NBA legends, Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), at least three different Saints Valentine, all of them martyrs and all quite obscure, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of February 14:. When he became eligible for the NBA draft in 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th pick overall). Young women especially would come forth voluntarily for the occasion, in the belief that being so touched would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth.

He led the Squires into the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost to the Rick Barry-led New York Nets. As part of the purification ritual, the priests of Lupercus would sacrifice goats to the god, and after drinking wine, they would run through the streets of Rome holding pieces of the goat skin above their heads, touching anyone they met. He scored 27.3 points per game as a rookie, was selected to the All-ABA Second Team, made the ABA All-Rookie Team and finished second to Artis Gilmore for the ABA Rookie of the Year Award. In Ancient Rome, the day of February 15 was Lupercalia, the festival of Lupercus, the god of fertility, who was represented as half-naked and dressed in goat skins. Erving quickly established himself as a force, and gaining a reputation for hard and ruthless dunking. In the calendar of Ancient Athens, the period between mid January and mid February was the month of Gamelion, which was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera. Erving decided to join the ABA in 1971 and signed as an undergraduate free agent with the ABA's Virginia Squires. The association of the middle of February with love and fertility dates to ancient times.

Pro basketball was split into two leagues, the ABA and the NBA, with players rapidly switching clubs and leagues. . At that time, professional basketball was in flux. The association also estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines. Nevertheless, he failed to attract much public attention. The Greeting Card Association estimates that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. In the two varsity seasons of his college basketball career, he averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, becoming one of only six players in NCAA Men's Basketball history to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards.

He was the main asset of the ABA when it merged with the National Basketball Association after the 1976 season. On the evening before St. was considered "the league". a martyr in North Africa, about whom little else is known. J. a bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) also suffered martyrdom in the second half of the 3rd century and was also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than the priest. While some players are considered to be "the team", Dr. a priest in Rome who suffered martyrdom in the second half of the 3rd century and was buried on the Via Flaminia.

APG: 3.9. RPG: 6.7. PPG: 22.0. Points: 18364.

Games: 836.