Julius Erving Autographed Virginia Squires ABA Jersey - PSA/DNA

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/5/2017

This is a Julius Erving autographed Mitchell & Ness (size 56) Squires basketball jersey, authenticated by PSA/DNA! "Dr J" helped make the modern style of basketball more popular. He helped bring attention to the American Basketball Association in the early 1970s. He won three championships, four MVP awards, and three scoring titles, and was the only person voted MVP in both the ABA and the NBA! He brought attention to his creative dunking abilities, including jumping from the foul line at a slam dunk contest. When Dr. J. got out of college, professional basketball was in flux, split between two leagues whose players often changed leagues and teams. In 1971, Erving joined the ABA as an undrafted free agent with the Virginia Squires. Erving quickly established himself as a star in the ABA and gained a reputation for his unique and powerful dunks. He averaged 27.3 points per game as a rookie, was selected to the All-ABA Second Team, made the ABA All-Rookie Team, led the ABA in offensive rebounds, and finished second to Artis Gilmore for the ABA Rookie of the Year Award. He led the Squires into the Eastern Division Finals, where they lost to the Rick Barry's New York Nets in seven games. When he became eligible for the NBA draft in 1972, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him in the first round (12th overall). This move would have brought him together with Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Instead, Erving signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks before the 1972 draft when he discovered his former agent Steve Arnold happened to work for the Squires, deluding him to sign for a low paying contract. As attorneys tried to reach an agreement among three teams in two leagues, Erving joined Pete Maravich and the Hawks's training camp, as they prepared for the upcoming season. Erving enjoyed his brief time with Atlanta, and he would later duplicate with George Gervin his after-practice playing with Maravich. He played three exhibition games with the Hawks until, because of a legal injunction, he was obliged by a three-judge panel to return to the ABA Squires. The NBA fined Atlanta $25,000 per game for Erving's Hawks appearances because Milwaukee owned his NBA rights. Back in the ABA, his game flourished, and he achieved a career-best 31.9 points per game in the 1972–1973 season. The following year, the cash-strapped Squires sold his contract to the New York Nets.

Condition: Mint