Julius Erving Quotes

Check out our Julius Erving quotes on basketball, life, and success. He is frequently referred to by his nickname Doctor J., or abbreviated to Dr. J. This legendary basketball player was known for his majestic dunks and his elegant style of driving to the hoop on the court. He was an innovator.

If there’s one memory that basketball folks associate with Dr. J, it’s gotta be taking off from the free-throw line and making a slam dunk at the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest.

His career spanned over 16 seasons. He won numerous awards and accolades. Erving was an 11-time NBA All-Star and won two American Basketball Association (ABA) championships with the New York Nets. He won a National Basketball Association (NBA) championship with the Philadelphia 76ers (1983). Julius was also named the ABA Most Valuable Player three times and the NBA MVP once.

Let’s start with some of his best quotations.

Best Julius Erving Quotes

1. I had to spend countless hours, above and beyond the basic time, to try and perfect the fundamentals.
2. I always try to keep a pretty conservative demeanor on the court.
3. Attitude is altitude.
4. The ones who become stars or superstars are the ones who have a head on their shoulders and know how to use it.
5. I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important and a lot greater, than popularity.
6. I wanted to undertake the challenge of daring to be great.
7. The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical.
8. I keep both eyes on my man. The basket hasn’t moved on me yet.
9. I demand more from myself than anybody could ever expect.
10. It’s better to stay too long than to leave too soon.

Doctor J. Quotes on Basketball

1. When I get a chance to power jump off both legs, I can lean, twist, change directions, and decide whether to dunk the ball or pass it to an open man. In other words, I may be committed to the air, but I still have some control over it.
2. When I went to Philadelphia I was 26 years old and really sitting on top of the world. Family life, a professional career, plenty of friends and associates, and a good reputation, a wish list that could be the envy of many.
3. My role models in the business were the older guys on my team when I first got there: Gray Scott, Adrian Smith, and Roland Taylor. These were the guys who took me under their wing, and really schooled me in terms of what the business was about.
4. Every team that I’ve played on, I’ve either been the captain or co-captain.
5. I think I was chosen by basketball, although I never really physically got drafted to any team that I played for.
6. One of the things in the back of my mind is that, after my sports experience, I never want to be, totally consumed by any one endeavor, other than my family life.
7. You know, we always tried to rationalize by saying you take the good, you take the upside, you got to deal with the downside, you’ve to take the downside.

On the Game

1. I think I started learning lessons about being a good person long before I ever knew what basketball was. And that starts in the home. It starts with the parental influence.
2. I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is something that I should spend time doing and that I could make a priority in my life versus other sports.
3. If you’re not doing what is best for your body, you are the one who loses.
4. If you do things with a certain type of result and cause a certain type of reaction or effect, then you increase your market value. It’s very much a competition for the entertainment dollar, and that’s never been more clearly evident than in today’s NBA game.
5. It’s better to stay too long than to leave too soon.
6. If you get depressed about being the second-best team in the world, then you’ve got a problem.
7. Right up until the time I retired at age 37, I felt like there were still things that I could do better.
8. Basketball is just a game, but it’s also a metaphor for life. It teaches you so much about perseverance, teamwork, and resilience.

On Being a Pro

1. I pulled the plug on it at a time that I thought was right for me to exit.
2. You know, just in terms of having to have a life on the road, you know, having the celebrity aspect be a burden for my family, friends, and extended family.
3. In 1981, at age 31, I was voted the best player in basketball, and the most valuable player in the league.
4. And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight — I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball because I was a scrub — there were things that I liked about it.
5. I live my life trying to never appear to be a small man.
6. Right up until the time I retired at age 37, I felt like there were still things that I could do better.
7. When we miss a shot, whether it be in sports or in life, we are faced with a choice: to give up or to persevere. It is in those moments of disappointment and setback that we develop the grit and determination necessary to bounce back stronger and more resilient. The missed shots become stepping stones on our journey towards achieving our goals and realizing our full potential.
8. Success is not about the destination, but about the person you become along the way.

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Good Julius Erving Quotes

1. I think I was chosen by basketball, although I never really physically got drafted to any team that I played for.
2. If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.
3. Goals determine what you’re going to be.
4. I am very proud to be featured, especially when you consider the outstanding champions who have had this honor. It is a great company to be in.
5. That was just my own personal program: I didn’t want to get too high over the good moments because I didn’t want to be saddened and depressed when things didn’t go as I had planned.
6. When the crowd appreciates you, it encourages you to be a little more daring, I think.
7. When handling the ball, I always would look for daylight, wherever there was daylight.

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Famous Dr. J Quotes

1. The first professional game that I ever played remains, to me, the most exciting moment of my professional career.
2. Every team that I’ve played on, I’ve either been the captain or co-captain.
3. I think that my God-given physical attributes, big hands, and big feet, and the way that I’m built, proportion-wise, just made basketball the most inviting sport for me to play.

I hope you enjoyed these Julius Erving quotes. He will long be remembered as one of the most dynamic players in professional basketball. Many credit him with popularizing a modern style of play — driving to the rim and playing above the rim. He was also the best-known player of the ABA when it merged with the NBA.

By Mike O’Halloran

Founder and Editor, Sports Feel Good Stories

Mike O’Halloran founded Sports Feel Good Stories in 2009. He co-authored four trivia books for kids under the Smart Attack line. Mike coached basketball for 15 seasons, taught tennis, and has written four books on basketball coaching. He has been a contributing writer for USA Football, the youth arm of the NFL. Mike is the founder of the Fantasy Football Team Names Hall of Fame.

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