Gilbert Arenas is among the latest celebrities to slam Dr.J for his rather polarizing Top 10 Legends list. Julius Erving has seemingly omitted Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry from this list. In his recent Gil’s Arena podcast episode, Arenas pointed out Erving’s saltiness for not having the same hype as Jordan during his playing career.
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This Dr. J list has created much controversy and hubbub among the basketball community. Erving has exclusively included only retired legends, most of whom are from his era and some from Michael Jordan’s playing time. However, Arenas further explains how Erving’s animosity against Jordan must have influenced the bias in his list.
Gilbert Arenas breaks down the reason behind Julius Erving excluding LeBron James and Michael Jordan from his Top 10 list
In the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, Gilbert Arenas is the latest celebrity to react to Julius Erving’s Top 10 list. He says Dr. J was a legend of his era, a time when television had not propelled the current popularity of basketball.
Although Erving was one of his era’s bests, he could never generate the same hype as Michael Jordan or LeBron James. Explaining this, Gil says:
“Think about it like this. Before it was TV, it was him. There’s an era that’s like in the 60s and the 70s, they dont even identify Michael Jordan the best. It’s him [Dr.J]. If anybody is like 65 and up, and say ‘Who’s the best player ever,’ they’re gonna say Dr. J. So there’s a thing, there’s was a wall here. Because he wasn’t in the NBA, nobody acknowledges his greatness. So four-five years later Jordan comes, and they just give him [the GOAT status].”
J’s popularity dwindled after Michael Jordan’s rise in the 1980s. As a player, Erving played for 19 seasons, with a career spanning over three teams. He started his basketball career in the ABA with Virginia Squires and has played with the New York Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. In 1983, he helped the Sixers win an NBA championship.
Dr. J created chaos with his Top 10 Legends list
Julius Erving’s top 10 list has a sizeable list of omissions of great players, including Stephen Curry and LeBron James. In his list, Erving included the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, and Nate Archibald. He also included veteran legends in his list, including Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Roberts, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor.
Explaining his list, Erving said:
“That’s my all-time best team. Everyone else gotta be on the second or the third team.”
This was Erving’s reasoning for not including LeBron James and Stephen Curry in his list. As per Erving, Curry needs to gain more experience in the league to get a place on his list.
