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Vintage Erving Jersey Fetches $190,000 in Auction

Greg from DrJStuff.com informed me that a 1972-73 game used/signed road Julius Erving Virginia Squires jersey was just sold for $190,414 at an auction. Greg shared the auction listing, which includes some cool photos and a description of the jersey (you can scroll through the images at the bottom of that link to get a closer look at each picture).

Most fans primarily know Julius "Dr. J" Erving as an 11-time NBA All-Star who won the 1981 regular season MVP and who was an All-NBA First Team performer for the 1983 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers but Erving enjoyed several of his best seasons during the first five years of his career, all of which were spent in the ABA. Erving averaged 27.3 ppg (fifth in the league) and 15.7 rpg (third in the league) as a Squires rookie in 1971-72 but 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Artis Gilmore won both the Rookie of the Year and the MVP awards that season. Erving topped the 40 point barrier five times during his rookie season but that was just a warmup for the playoffs, when he led both leagues in scoring (33.3 ppg) and rebounding (20.4 rpg); Erving tied Roger Brown's single game ABA playoff scoring record with 53 points, a total that also equals Wilt Chamberlain's mark for most points in a playoff game by a rookie (both records still stand). Erving was even more sensational in 1972-73, the season from which the aforementioned jersey originates. Erving won the first of his three scoring titles, averaging a career-high 31.9 ppg and authoring 13 40 point games in 71 regular season contests (Erving missed the early part of the season because of the contract dispute that ultimately resulted in Erving and Pete Maravich briefly joining forces with the Atlanta Hawks).

Erving spent the remainder of his ABA career with the New York Nets, winning three MVPs in three seasons (sharing the 1974-75 honor with George McGinnis, his future 76ers teammate) and leading the Nets to ABA titles in 1974 and 1976. In the 1976 ABA Finals, Erving played at a level that few--if any--superstars have ever reached, topping both teams in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots.

Erving was a great ball hawk, he still ranks as one of the top scorers in NBA Finals history and he was an obvious choice as a member of my Basketball Pantheon.

Labels: Julius Erving, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Virginia Squires

posted by David Friedman @ 3:19 AM

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