NBA Legend ‘Dr. J’ Julius Erving Accuses Brooklyn Nets of ‘Buying a Championship’ Like Lakers

The Brooklyn Nets are the NBA’s super-team right now. What started in 2008 with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen teaming up with Paul Pierce in Brooklyn has transformed into something completely spectacular. Since the Celtics started the first big super-team, the NBA has seen several juggernauts, whether it be the Miami Heat in 2011, the Warriors in 2016, and now the Nets in 2021.

Dr. J on Brooklyn Nets forming a super team

Former NBA champion and Brooklyn Nets legend Julius Erving spoke to NBC Sports recently. He was asked about the Brooklyn Nets‘ new team. Erving wasn’t a fan of their approach, accusing the Nets of ‘buying a championship’. He compared the Nets to the Yankees and the Lakers. Furthermore, he believes that having that many All-NBA stars will make the Nets formidable going into the playoffs.

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“It’s reminiscent of how the Yankees used to do it all the time. They load up – they call it ‘buying a championship.’ The Lakers are known for doing that too. They’re getting all these pieces…they don’t know at the end of the season what it’s going to look like or what it’s going to feel like, but they’re going to be formidable. You’ve got a team with six former All-Stars, and three (All-NBA) guys who have been there and succeeded in the playoffs.”

Nets are just the latest super team in the NBA

Over the last two decades, the NBA has seen a player-empowerment movement. The contract structures and free-agency rules give more power to the players about where they want to play. The NBA has tried to maintain parity among teams with the salary cap and the draft structure, but super-teams are still possible, as the Nets showed this season. Fans are not happy about super-teams being formed.

The Brooklyn Nets are just the latest in a list of franchises that have assembled super-teams in the NBA. The Celtics did the same in 2008, with KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and a young Rajon Rondo. Then it was the Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Then came the 2016 Warriors with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. And now, after two years without one, the NBA finally has a super-team again in Brooklyn.

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Can the Brooklyn Nets win the NBA championship? They currently have the best odds among all the teams in the NBA. However, they will have immense competition in the Philadelphia 76ers in the East. And if they reach the Finals, they could have to contend with the Lakers, Clippers, or Jazz.