$50 million 76ers legend gushes and declares Kawhi Leonard as his favorite NBA player

Julius Erving has often spoken about his love and “mutual admiration” for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.

Julius Erving was one of the most athletic players the league has ever seen. Being considered as the “Michael Jordan before the Michael Jordan” by several fellow NBA legends, Dr. J had an incredibly deep offensive arsenal. With the skillset he possessed, the 76ers legend racked up a pretty decorated resume – 16 All-Star appearances, 7 All-NBA selections, 4 MVPs, and even an NBA champ, among a long list of other achievements.

Thanks to Erving’s jaw-dropping dunks, the 6-foot-7 forward was regarded as one of the most entertaining players of his era. Recently, the NBA’s 75^th Anniversary Team Member revealed the current player who he found entertaining – Kawhi Leonard.

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In a recent interview with Farbod Esnaashri of “FanNation”, the 72-year-old disclosed that the Clippers star was his “favorite NBA player”.

“Kawhi is my favorite NBA player,” Erving said. “Absolutely.”

“I really admire Kawhi Leonard”: Julius Erving

Apart from explaining himself as to why Leonard is his favorite player, Dr. J further shed light on the special relationship he shares with the 2-time NBA champ.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s kind of like a mutual admiration,” Erving said. “I really admire him, I haven’t sat down or had dinner with him or lunch or anything like that. We connected All-Star weekend during the top 75 [celebration]. It’s always just a cordiality there because he’s a favorite guy that I like to watch in the NBA. So I’ve gone on record and saying that, I don’t know if he’s heard about it or not.”

This isn’t the first time Julius has lauded Kawhi. Earlier this year, Erving had stated:

“I love watching Kawhi… When Kawhi came on the scene and then he was MVP of the playoffs, I started watching him more closely and I like what he brings to the players. A lot of people don’t like his demeanor, but I love his demeanor. He says something when he has something to say, if he ain’t got nothing to say, go talk to somebody else.”

It’s been more than a year since we’ve seen Leonard in action. With the Clippers adding John Wall to the roster, alongside Paul George, a healthy Kawhi Leonard should lead the LA-based franchise to a deep and successful playoffs run.

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