Dr. J’s son likes basketball but isn’t fixated on NBA
Jules Erving is a 6-6 senior forward who can efficiently knock down the jump shot, handle the ball and finish at the rim.
But unlike most high school players with his size and skills, he doesn’t aspire to be a Basketball Hall of Famer or even an NBA All- Star; in fact, making it to the NBA isn’t his ultimate dream.
“Don’t get me wrong, if that happens, then great. But if it doesn’t, that’s OK, too,” said Erving, who plays at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal in Atlanta. “It’s not the end of the world.”
That mind-set might not shock you until you find out he’s the son of NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving.
“Yeah, that’s my dad,” Erving said with a smile. “I guess there could be a lot of pressure to live up to being his son playing basketball, but he just has never put that on me. Other people have. But he’s always been the type to want me to do what makes me happy, whether that’s basketball or not.”
Saturday, Erving looked happy scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds to lead the Bears past Jenkins (Savannah, Ga.) 7167 in the Holiday Hoopsgiving.
“The crazy thing about Jules is that, while he’s played basketball for a long time, he only started becoming engaged 18 months ago,” Bears coach Adrian Collins said. “He grew about 4 inches during that time. He’s got a lot of potential, and he’s starting to realize more and more what he’s capable of on the court.”
This season, Erving is averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game.
“People had always told me that I had potential, but I just never, I guess, believed it,” Erving said. “In the last 18 months, I feel like my confidence has grown a lot, and I’m trying to work on getting better every day. I’m not trying to be my dad.”
Still, even Erving had to admit that for years he has tried to do his father’s famous reverse layup from Game 4 of the 1980 NBA Finals, in which he led the Philadelphia 76ers against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“It’s hard to do,” Erving said with a laugh. “I can get it sometimes, but he hung up there for a long time. It’s tough.”
Jules is one of four children of Erving, 66, and his second wife, Dorys. The family lives in Atlanta. Erving had five other children in previous relationships.
Julius Erving was unable to attend Saturday’s win, but Jules said when his dad attends his games they have a quick talk afterward about things he did well and areas in which he can improve.
“After that we just go on nor- mally,” Jules said. “He’s not the father that wants me to be in the NBA or pushes me to do this or that; he really isn’t. He wants me to work hard at whatever.”
Recently, Erving ’s hard work on the court has begun to pay off.
Collins said Erving has recently started to receive interest from Massachusetts (where his father played), Rhode Island, Kennesaw State and Georgia State.
Erving said that, for him, playing in college depends on whether he receives a Division I scholarship offer.
“If it’s not D-I, I don’t think I’d do it,” Erving said. “I’d probably just focus on my books. That’s the biggest thing for me right now.
“I have a 3.5 GPA, and I’m trying to get it higher. I want to go into business with my dad. I’m not sure in what way just yet, but we’ve been talking about some things. With basketball, I’m giving it my best shot, and I’m just going to see what happens. Either way, I’ll be happy.”