Julius Erving, otherwise known as “Dr. J,” was not only one of the greatest players in basketball history but also one of the most exciting ones.
His aerial artistry paved the way for Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, as well as LeBron James, to take over the modern era of the NBA.
Erving hasn’t played in the league since retiring in 1987, and he has largely kept a low profile over the years. But every now and then, he makes an appearance and gives his opinions on current NBA players.
He recently gave his personal list of the 10 greatest NBA players ever, and James was conspicuously absent from it. For that matter, so were Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, as well as current Golden State Warriors sniper Stephen Curry.
Dr.J’s top 10 players of all time (no order)
Jerry West
Oscar Robertson
Elgin Baylor
Wilt Chamberlain
Bill Russell
Michael Jordan
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Magic Johnson
Karl Malone
Tiny Archibald(Via @joydeangela) pic.twitter.com/Jdi7C7lv2l
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 30, 2023
His reasoning for not having James or Curry on his list is that they haven’t finished their careers yet.
Dr. J’s Top 10 All Time list is gonna rub ALOT of people the wrong way. 😂😂😂
FULL INTERVIEW OUT NOW: https://t.co/0AR6rVChTu pic.twitter.com/cgmgyw9Le9
— Joy De’Angela (@joydeangela) July 29, 2023
However, just about everyone else already considers James one of the 10 greatest players ever, and many have him in their top two or three.
