The 1972 Topps Julius Erving is Pure Perfection
There is no better forecast of the greatness that is about to become than the 1972 Topps Julius Erving Rookie Card. Everything about the card is perfect. First and foremost the design screams 70’s era. The bright yellow background allows you to appreciate the Doctor’s flawless shooting form and perfectly manicured “fro”, while the red vintage font pairs nicely with doc’s red white and blue Squires Jersey and the pinwheel basketball. Absolute Perfection...
If you were one of the millions of people like myself to watch the recent Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance”, you may have heard Michael say that his idol growing up was Julius Erving. Given what we know about Michael Jordan and his prowess as arguably the greatest basketball player and perhaps greatest athlete of all time, hearing him say he idolized the great Dr. J was notable.
Dr. J was one of the first players in pro basketball to get off the field endorsements including having his own shoe deal, something that years later would make Michael Jordan the most well-known athlete on the planet. On top of being a 3x champion, a 4x MVP, and 3x scoring champion, Julius is the 8th highest scorer in history. He is also a 1993 Hall of Fame inductee and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time.
Many might say that Julius was Michael before Michael. Both impacted the sport of basketball by influencing an entire generation of young people. If you were a young hooper back in the 1970’s like Michael Jordan was, you wanted to be Dr. J. He not only oozed coolness from his distinguished nickname to his smooth athletic style, but his game was the “Real Deal”. The Doctor ushered in the new era of the high flying slam dunks and aggressive style of play in pro basketball. Guys like George ‘The Iceman” Gervin and the Doc were the ones inspiring the likes of Michael Jordan and many of the great players of the 80’s and 90’s that gave us what some consider the greatest years of the NBA.
The “Iceman” and Doc famously went head to head in the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest. These were some of the earliest public displays of the high flying dunks and athletic creativity we have become accustomed to watching today. These guys were many years ahead of their time. Hopefully when we look at the Julius Erving 1972 Topps Virginia Squires Rookie Card we are reminded of their greatness and just how perfect this piece of vintage history is.
