Good book for NBA fans. Older NBA fans. Erving tries to make it more than just his sporting career but it really is not much more than his life around basketball. I learned a lot more than I had bargained for.
Erving gives an acknowledgement to Bob Costas, I don't know why. He also talks an awful lot about his friend Bill Cosby which means Erving has to clear his name by now writing another autobiography excising out Cosby's name. Erving was very professionally accomplished although he always felt that he had to work around preferential treatment afforded to other more highly regarded stars. Erving won championships in the ABA and NBA. He was inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame. He was MVP in both leagues in different years. He won the first Slam Dunk Contest which took place during halftime of the game he was playing in. He was chosen one of the NBA's 50 greatest players. He talks about Pete Maravich being the most skilled player he ever saw. Overall, a well produced life and lessons learned with more transparency over personal failures than found in most memoirs. He talks about how he saw his life unfolding by following the rules as given and not needing to become a militant Afro American to register his dissatisfaction about society's inequality. Erving talks about how the game of basketball was evolving from Elgin Baylor (acrobatic moves taken from the playground and imported into the professional game once the 'Wooden' coaches left the ball control system) to himself and then to Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. ( )

"Dr. J: The Autobiography" immortalizes the life and basketball career of one of the greatest players of all time: Julius Erving. Erving had humble beginnings, growing up in Roosevelt, New York. He always loved sports and was a naturally gifted athlete. As a young boy, he was very focused on being able to jump really high. He would practice all the time, jumping up the steps near where he lived. This work in the area of jumping would apply perfectly to the sport in which he would make history in: basketball. His natural gifts and work ethic allowed him to become a staple player in high school, college, the ABA (American Basketball Association), and the NBA (National Basketball Association).
What I appreciate so much about Erving's autobiography is not only the in-depth recalling of his life and historical basketball career, but the way in which Erving details the world surrounding him. This autobiography exceeds many others in this regard. When reading this book, one gets a great feel for what life was like not just for Erving, but for people int that time period in general in all of the places Erving lived. One also gets a great sense for the rough, tough culture of professional basketball at the time and the political instability that professional basketball suffered from. Dr. J was a great athlete, and he seems to be a gifted story teller too. This is a must read for any sports fan.

I this found to be gripping and fascinating. The book is written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style with each chapter of his life existing in the present tense, which can be confusing, except that I find that Erving's voice, and his thoughtfulness is really emphasized by this style. It seems like an honest and thoughtful reflection by a man who has lived a life defined by extremes in some sense, a man who is prone to thoughtfulness, and who has managed to stay true to himself, admitting to both his strengths and his flaws. ( )