Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 9, 1993 TAG: 9302090031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SPRINGFIELD, MASS. LENGTH: Long
`DR. J' SOARS TO TOP
Julius Erving played the game above the rim with breathtaking grace, awe-inspiring creativity and calm, calculated cool.Bill Walton ripped rebounds off the rim, fired laser-like outlet passes, swatted away opponents' shots and hit cutting teammates with over-the-shoulder no-look passes.
Both left the NBA after the 1987 season, and both were selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.
Also to be inducted May 10 are NBA stars Walt Bellamy, Dan Issel, Dick McGuire and Calvin Murphy, Soviet Olympic standout Ulyana Semyonova and UCLA and Olympic star Ann Meyers.
Erving, the electric "Dr. J," defied the laws of gravity with dramatic dunks that stamped him as a star, first in college at the University of Massacusetts and then in the old American Basketball Association. He was the Michael Jordan of his day, equipped with a dazzling assortment of moves that he brought to the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Walton, an All-American at UCLA and twice college basketball's player of the year, led the Bruins to two national championships and set a Final Four record when he hit 21 of 22 shots against Memphis State in 1973. He later helped Portland and Boston to NBA championships.
"It's very special," Erving said, recalling how he had not been expected to be a star until he grew 3 1/2 inches in college.
"That helped me out a lot. It prohibited me from ever taking anything for granted," Erving said. "It made me have realistic expectations, focus on my studies first, and have a more balanced approach to life and the realization that basketball is a game."
Erving also recalled his coaches and "the millions of fans who with my family and friends touched me emotionally and spiritually. With their tears of sorrow . . . and of joy, I carry a feeling of oneness with them into these hallowed halls."
The others elected to the hall of fame were thrilled as well:
"I am very surprised. I loved every level of basketball from grade school on. It has been my life and I have had a fabulous time," Walton said.
McGuire thought of his brother, Al, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. "He will be the one bringing me up the aisle," McGuire said.
"That's what you dream about the first time you pick up a basketball," said Issel, now the Nuggets' coach.
"You can't believe how I am. Right now, everything has been racing through my head . . . I'm trying not to explode," said Murphy.
Murphy, 44, said he hoped his election will help him serve as a role model for the young people he works with at an educational and sports academy he founded in Houston.
"We're a nation of hero worshipers, and this title makes me one of the elite. I've reached the ultimate in my sport, so that gives me a lot of credibility," Murphy said. "And you can believe I'm going to wear it very proudly."
"I'm still a little shell shocked," said Meyers, who is married to Baseball Hall of Famer Don Drysdale and expecting the couple's third child in March. "I have to give a lot of the credit to my family and their support. I idolized my brother David and always tagged along with him."
Meyers held 12 of 13 school records when she graduated and led UCLA to the 1978 AIAW championship. She also played on the U.S. Olympic team that won a silver medal in 1976 - the gold was won by the Semyonova-led Soviet team - and was the first MVP of the Women's Professional League.
After playing two years at Massachusetts, Erving began a 16-year pro career with the Virginia Squires of the ABA in 1971. He was the league's MVP in 1974 and 1976 when he led the New York Nets to the ABA championship.
In 1976, Erving, one of three players in pro basketball history to score more than 30,000 career points, joined the 76ers. An 11-time NBA All-Star, he was voted MVP in 1981 and led the 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship.
His athleticism, leaping ability and acrobatic slam dunks made Erving one of the game's outstanding attractions.
Walton first attracted national attention at UCLA, where his Bruins teams compiled an 86-4 record. Perhaps his best college performances was in the 1973 NCAA final against Memphis State, when he made 21 of 22 field-goal attempts.
Nagging injuries slowed his 10-year pro career with the Trail Blazers, Clippers and Celtics. In 1977, he helped the Blazers win the NBA title, and he was voted MVP in 1978. In 1986, he received the NBA's Sixth Man Award for coming off the bench to help the Celtics win the NBA title.
Walton was known not only for his scoring, but his accurate outlet passes that led to easy fast-break baskets.
Bellamy, a 1961 graduate of Indiana and member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, scored 20,941 points and had 14,241 rebounds over a 14-year pro career with Chicago, New York, Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans.
Issel averaged more than 22.3 points per game during a 15-year pro career that included five years with the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA and 10 years with the Nuggets.
McGuire, one of the game's premiere point guards, had 2,950 assists in an 11-year pro career, including eight years with the Knicks and three years with Detroit. He later coached the Pistons and the Knicks.
Murphy, at 5 feet 9, was one of the first small men to make a big impact on the modern game. The 1970 Niagara graduate scored 17,949 points during a 13-year pro career with the Rockets, including more than 1,000 points in each of 11 consecutive seasons. Murphy still holds the NBA record for consecutive free throws at 78.