Modern days NBA legends like LeBron James and Stephen Curry were motivated by Michael Jordan’s on-field feats while growing up. However, the Ghost of Chicago’s childhood inspiration was Philadelphia 76ers legend, Julius Erving. Dr. J became a household name in the 70s and 80s due to his creativity and uniqueness on the court. Jordan once admitted that his skills were developed while watching Erving work his magic against tough opponents.

While the two legends faced each other only 8 times, Julius revealed that MJ trash-talked with him during their fourth encounter in his rookie season. Despite Jordan’s disrespect, Julius praised the Chicago Bulls legend during the 1986 Michael Jordan documentary by Jeanie Morris.

In 1984, Erving was coming to the end of his career while Jordan was just getting started. The duo faced each other in Jordan’s rookie year four times. The Philadelphia 76ers and Dr. J beat Michael’s team on all four occasions.

However, Jordan still managed to put up impressive performances against Erving’s dominant team. He scored 31 points against the 76ers during their third encounter. In addition, MJ managed to put up 40 points against Erving’s team in the fourth match.

Julius Erving praises Michael Jordan

Julius and Jordan were involved in a dunking battle during the fourth game. None of them backed down one bit and exchanged some heated words during the match. Dr. J discussed the on-court incident with the media after the game and shared what Jordan had told him. 

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At the same time, they continued to have mutual respect for one another, which was portrayed when Erving talked about Jordan in his 1986 documentary three years later. Dr. J said, “He is a special person. Because in first meeting him, the humility and humbleness came through and just completely overshadowed anything that he could do after on the basketball court.”

Julius praised Jordan for the kind of person he was and the way he showed respect to his childhood hero during their first meeting. Back when Jordan started playing in NBA, he was considered being the next Dr. J. However, MJ managed to break past Erving’s achievements and start a new league of his own with his magnificent records.

Watch This Story: When did Michael Jordan retire for the second time?

Both legends are retired for a long while now. But, their names always come up among the best-ever in basketball.  Michael Jordan & Julius Erving are undoubtedly among the greatest players to have ever played the sport.