- Julius Erving, aka Dr.J, is considered one of the greatest players of all time
- Erving never forced his children to follow in his footsteps
- Instead, he allowed them to pursue their dreams on their own, and he supported them
Julius Erving, widely known as Dr. J, is not only a legendary figure in the world of basketball but also a devoted father. He is a proud father to a total of nine children from multiple partners.
Despite being one of the game’s greats, Erving never forced basketball on any of his kids. In an interview with Mike Sager at Esquire, Erving talked about how he let their kids pursue their dreams:
“You can expose your children to exactly the same things, but they’re all going to become different people. That’s great, because I don’t want them to be me, I want them to be them.”
“I never forced basketball on any of my kids or my nephews. I wanted them to ask to be taught. When you have a willing participant, who says, ‘Please, teach me how to play,’ that’s when my eyes light up.”
Erving has said multiple times that he has not been the greatest dad, especially with his once-estranged daughter, Alexandra Stevenson, a former tennis player.
Julius Erving Got A Second Chance At Parenting
Erving got married to Turquoise Erving at the very early age of 22 when he was a rising star in the ABA. They had a total of four children together, and they were married from 1972 to 2003. But their relationship was rocky from the start.
In 1980, it was revealed that Erving had fathered a child, Alexandra Stevenson, with sportswriter Samantha Stevenson in an affair. This was known within the two families, but it was kept well hidden from the public eye. Despite their distant relationship initially, Alexandra and Erving eventually connected in 2008, marking a new chapter in their father-daughter relationship.
Erving also faced a massive tragedy in 2000 when his 19-year-old son, Cory, went missing for weeks. Later, he was found dead after he had drowned after driving his vehicle into a pond. Erving is still survived with his other kids, Cheo, 50, Julius III, 49, and Jazmin, 46.
In 2003, Erving would go on to father a child with Dorýs Madden named Justin Kangas. This would lead to a divorce with Turquoise Erving, his wife of 29 years. Erving would later continue his relationship with Madden, with whom he has three more kids. They would get married in 2008.
In the interview back in 2017, Erving talked about how life gave him a second chance:
I have an 11-year-old daughter, and two sons, 15 and 18, living under my roof right now; my older kids are in their 40s. When you get a second chance, you try to do it better.
Despite having a tough relationship with his kids in the past, Erving seems to have learned from his mistakes and doing his best to support and connect with them.
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