Basketball legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving visits Tucson for fireside chat with Bob Elliott | News

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – Julius “Dr. J” Erving made a house call to Palo Verde High School Thursday.

The basketball legend came to Tucson for a fireside chat with Arizona great Bob Elliott. It all benefited the African American Museum of Southern Arizona, which Elliott runs with his wife Beverely.   

“Bob and Beverely have been long time friends,” Erving said. “When they asked me to come out, I had a good feeling they would do it the right way.”

“It gives the Tucson community a chance to see people in Tucson telling their story and what life was like from their lens,” Elliott said.

Elliott and Erving go way back. They roomed together at Philadelphia 76ers training camp when Elliott was a rookie in 1977.

“We’ve been brotherly ever since,” Elliott said. 

Nearly 50 years later, Erving told Beverely that he wanted to help support the museum. Seven thousand people have visited in its first two years. 

“With me coming here, it will maybe bring more attention to it,” Erving said. “Maybe that number will increase. If it increases, the economic piece of it will be better. It will be put back into the community.”

Hundreds packed the Palo Verde Auditorium as Erving reflected on his childhood and journey to the ABA and NBA. 

“The dunks, the afro, the ABA, the converse, he’s an icon in the game of basketball,” Arizona Great Reggie Geary said. “He transcends it. He’s bigger than it. The things he does off the court is special as well.”

Erving shared stories, like how he earned his nickname ‘The Doctor’ from his friend ‘The Professor’. He also talked about playing at the UMass and in the pros – and how it’s different now. 

The NBA champion and Naismith Hall of Famer has a long list of accomplishments. He shared which mean the most to him. 

“I have four sons, three daughters, five grandchildren,” he said. “That’s probably my greatest achievement in life. In sports, being a champion. Being a champion multiple times. Being able to make the Hall of Fame.”

Erving had a message for young kids hoping to pursue their basketball dreams. 

“I’ve always been a team player,” he said. “They need to listen to their coach. They need to listen to their parents, care about their craft and good things will happen.”

To learn more about the African American Museum of Southern Arizona and how you can visit, click here.