Julius Erving Details How His Nickname Evolved from ‘The Doctor’ to ‘Doctor J’

Julius Erving is one of the biggest names in NBA history. However, he’s mostly known by his famous nickname, ‘Dr. J’. Many have long wondered where this moniker came from.

So, during his appearance on the Come and Talk 2 Me show, the hosts asked him just this question. In his response, Erving revealed the real story behind the name which dates back to his childhood.

The NBA legend admitted with a grin on his lips that his nickname did not come from the NBA. Instead, it was one of his childhood friends who started to call him ‘Doctor’ as part of a little inside joke between them.

Later, when the legend played for the ABA’s Virginia Squires, his nickname evolved due to the need of the hour. Erving explained,

“My buddy started calling me ‘the doctor’ when I started calling him the professor. We were in maybe middle school… When I got to the Virginia Squires, you know, they were calling the team physician ‘the doctor’. They were calling the medical guy, ‘the doctor’.”

“They had about four people who they called ‘the doctor’. So the trainer said, ‘You got to be Doctor J!'”

Erving then revealed that the Squires ran with this nickname. The franchise used it to promote him as a player and their games as a franchise.

Even judging solely by the popularity of Erving’s nickname today, it’s clear that the strategy worked wonders. In fact, as mentioned previously, the NBA legend is now known better by his moniker.

For quite some time now, Julius Erving is referred to almost primarily as ‘Dr. J’, pretty much like how Earvin Jonson is almost universally known as Magic Johnson.