“Michael Jordan Came Down and Dunked On a Whole Team”: Julius Erving Narrates Crazy Story

In the 1980s, a new star erupted into the scene. His name was Michael Jordan, and while nobody expected him to reach the level of stardom he eventually did, most people knew that it was the emergence of a great player. Playing for the Chicago Bulls almost his whole career, Jordan turned into one of the greatest players of his generation. Along the way, he was fortunate enough to play alongside some fellow legends. This included the great Julius Erving.

Erving has been an NBA veteran during the 70s and 80s. He is a former NBA champion, as well as MVP of the league. Along with this, he is a 11-time NBA All-star, and an extremely fierce competitor. Jordan was only blooming as a player when Sixers legend Erving was getting into his prime. Yet, the 71-year-old was well aware of Jordan’s skill set right from the early days. After all, the Bulls superstar fit into the league since he ever stepped foot in it.

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Julius Erving recalls his overlapping days with Michael Jordan

Though not many noticed, Erving and Jordan did in fact play at the same time for a brief period. In an interview on The Players’ Tribune, the former player revealed what he made of ‘MJ’ during their playing days together. Chatting with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, he quoted, “We [me and Jordan] played against each other. It was three years where we overlapped.”

Michael Jordan ended up averaging over 30 points in his illustrious career. Recalling a funny incident between the duo, Erving continued, “The first year he was hurt, the second year ’84-’86 we overlapped. And it was funny because I remember he came down and dunked on a whole team, and then I went down and dunked on his team. I was looking at him, he was looking at me like I can do it again. So I only got one shot at it. But it was fun and those years when we overlapped, I caught him before he hit his stride.”

There is no doubt that both Julius Erving and Michael Jordan were both huge assets for the game. Through this cheeky incident, we realise how fortunate we were to be able to watch them play.