Hall of Famers like baseball’s Ozzie Smith and from basketball’s Julius (Dr. J) Erving reek class in how they carry themselves. Both were part of an event last week here in St. Louis that raised money for inner-city youth to play the game of golf.
Smith has been an institution in St. Louis almost from the day he arrived late in 1981. His accomplishments on and off the field would consume countless pages of declarations for his efforts and involvement in St. Louis. Erving’s name still carries considerable weight in the basketball, corporate and charitable communities.
For the two of them, the back flips and dunks have been replaced with elegant gray hair and a golf club, as each still has the competitive nature to be one shot better today than they were yesterday. To watch both Smith and Erving work the room of well-wishers is an interesting, challenging feat, as they show great patience and real charm with every autograph and picture. Yes, this is the role of true Hall of Famers, making that person they sign for or pose with feel special.
For Erving, you think “basketball legend.” In 2013, Dr. J and his legacy resurfaced as he penned an autobiography that left nothing out and found its way to the New York Times fabled best seller list. Erving was also the subject of an NBA production, “The Dr.,” that won a sports Emmy for Best Sports Documentary.
“2013 was a turnaround year for me,” Erving told The American. “I had a lot of good things happen to me as the economy in this country turned the corner. I had a business that failed, as I had to give it back to the bank, but I learned from it and life went on.”
It was a long road that got him to the point of putting pen to paper. “I have had a number of starts and stops on the book since the age of 40,” he said. “When I got closer to 60, I really needed to make a legacy play. I needed to make sure that my family knew who I was in the first-person. I wanted to make a statement that family was very important, for me, in my journey and I wanted to pay homage to that.”
While Erving’s book is not a tell-all, he made people upset with things he wrote. “There was one call I had to take that took a considerable amount of time,” he said. The mother of Erving’s daughter, tennis player Amanda Stevenson, was unhappy with her depiction in the book. “But again,” he said, “I did the book to the best of my recollection.”
Erving was the first African American with a shoe endorsement deal, not to mention national spokesperson for a variety of successful companies. “I have always been conscious of my brand and associations with various entities,” Erving said. “I have been very aware of association with the cream of the crop when it comes to businesses and charitable organizations. I always tried to be consistent with messages pertaining causes and certainly family and cultural associations over the years.”
Today Erving looks at the game and its direction on and off the court and continues to play an advisory role, as players still come to him for business and professional advice. He is proud of that role, as it has crossed over into other sports, where athletes are better prepared for the challenges.
“Man plans and God laughs, and plan you must,” Erving said with a chuckle. “If you work smart and work hard early, you can cut those work hours down later and have time to do whatever you want to do.”
Both Erving and Smith have mentored youth of the game engaged with the community. Erving was mentored himself.
“I played against pros at an early age going back to high school,” he said. “Even then, the guys would pull me aside and tell me what to watch out for as I moved up through the ranks. Forty years later, I have gone from being mentored to being the mentor. I look forward to talking to the young guys and welcoming them into the league.”
Erving is proud of his accomplishments.
“When you look at my high school, college, and pro career, I can stack mine up against anybody,” said Erving. “You never get the full credit as you also have to see what your teams did as well. I won championships in both the ABA and the NBA, as well as being a Most Valuable Player in both leagues. Yet there will be some detractors and haters.”
Not enough to harm his brand.
“One thing I’m happy about is that I have not been over-exposed, which allows me to still have a marketing brand for various projects,” he said. “I’m good with that these days. You have to remember, I have not played basketball in almost 30 years, and yet I can still strategically position myself and brand to help others.”
Erving still watches the game and appreciates the play of most. He is quick to point out that AAU Basketball as we know it is not as good for the game as it could be.
“They teach everyone the same thing, be it dribbling and shooting, then all of a sudden you have everyone who does the same thing, with little imagination and the ability to adjust,” he said. “When the game is on the line, you have to have the ability to have the good players show why they are really good.”
As for favorite player to watch, it was a slam dunk: “Tim Duncan. What is not to like about him and the way he and his teammates play the game? The San Antonio Spurs are good for the game. How they play it, how they conduct themselves. .. yeah, Tim Duncan, especially for his age of 38, is my favorite.”
Today Erving spends time with his family. He and his second wife still have three kids at home in Atlanta. He stays busy with a variety of projects that include wireless cell phone towers around the country, appearances, and corporate outings. Yes there is still time for golf, be it in celebrity events or just a fun round with friends, as Dr. J is still in search of his second hole in one. Which is one more than Ozzie Smith at this stage of their golf careers.
As for the high-flying dunks, they are now limited to one per year – at age 64, the Good Doctor still throws one down every year on his birthday. We all should be so blessed. When it comes to how Erving wants to be remembered, he keeps it simple.
“I’m not too worried about what they saw in a highlight, but you do want them to feel good about you as a person, so the essence of how they feel is important,” he said. “So I want them to know that I have tried to make contributions to the game, my community, and I represented my family well.”
