This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/20/2011
As awe-inspiring as Julius Erving’s aerial maneuvers and show-stopping dunks were, they did not define him as a mere showman. Dr. J was above all a team player and a winner. He proved it on every level, from the playground to the NBA. Seldom is a man of such unfathomable talent also touched with an equal measure of grace and humility. Dr. J, never sought individual accolades but they could not be denied. The offered trophy represents the last of three ABA Most Valuable Player Awards won by Dr. J, however he probably deserved the literal title each of the five years he played in the league. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association from the moment he entered the league. He was the best and most popular player in the ABA, and a catalyst for the ABA-NBA merger that occurred after the 1976 season. As important as he was to the league, Dr. J considers the ABA just as important to him. ``The five years I spent in the ABA will always be cherished,`` said Erving. ``It was a very important part of basketball history.`` How important? There are basketball experts who say the ABA saved the NBA, which was drifting in a sea of mediocrity and plummeting television ratings.
Fittingly Dr. J was named MVP in the ABA’s final season of 1975-76. Erving led the Nets to victory over the Denver Nuggets in the swan-song finals of the ABA. In the postseason, Erving averaged 34.7 points and was also named MVP of the playoffs. Erving’s 1975-76 ABA Most Valuable Player trophy stands approx. 20” tall. The two-tiered trophy features an engraved plaque on the wood base that reads, “JULIUS ERVING 1975-1976 M.V.P. AMERICAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION”. Erving has added his large signature to the back of the base in silver sharpie. Unquestionably one of the premier basketball trophies ever presented at auction, this showpiece is the ultimate embodiment of one of the most significant chapters of Dr. J’s legacy.
Includes a signed LOA from Julius Erving.