Julius Erving was a basketball megastar in his prime during the 1970s and ’80s. Many legends were deeply inspired by Dr. J, including the likes of Michael Jordan. While Dr. J is no longer brought up in GOAT talks, he has a list of five players he deems as the greatest of all time.
He revealed the same with Shaquille O’Neal on The Big Podcast while discussing a theoretical matchup between Shaq and Wilt Chamberlain.
(Starts at 43:44)
“Russell is definitely on my list of all-time greats in my top five in that list of five that I made when I was 15 years old, but I got Chamberlain in there too and I got Elgin Baylor and I got Oscar Robertson and Jerry West there. Some people don’t even know, they can’t remember those names or what those guys did.”
Erving’s five include all players that predated him. This makes sense as Erving has likely stayed firm in his all-time five for decades now. He has named these same five before, showing his consistency in appreciating the ones that came before him.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are two of the greatest players of all time by modern standards. Most believe they’re scrapping for the top spot in the GOAT pyramid on a different echelon altogether, with some throwing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar there as well.
Erving’s five is also without Kareem but has two big men that have stood the test of time, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. The NBA has had many guards that can be placed ahead of Jerry West by this point, while the forward position has evolved beyond what Elgin Baylor was capable of. Oscar Robertson would be a great fit for the modern NBA but we’re seeing guards starting to replicate his incredible production.
Kudos to Julius Erving for staying with his all-time starting 5, even though he once shared a wild list of 10 greatest players without including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Julius Erving Shared His All-Time Five While Discussing A 1-On-1 Matchup Between Shaq And Wilt
Erving may lean towards players of his generation more than the modern era, but he gave an honest response to Shaq about how a dream one-on-one with Wilt Chamberlain would play out.
(Starts at 43:11)
“Obviously, they were different eras, but all the diversification that was in Shaq’s game and that would’ve made for a very, very tough matchup for Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt constantly played against Bill Russell and he dominated Bill Russell, but Russell’s team won the game. So, with Shaquille now, would it be a matter of who wins the matchup or who wins the game?… Shaq versus Wilt. Man, that’s a question for the ages. Like Shaq said, he would take no prisoners…It ain’t about the stats in that particular game. I think it’s about being blessed with the opportunity to see two giants of the game. And they could be one, two, or two, one depending on who you’re talking to on the court at the same time. That would be a fantasy.”
Shaq has maintained for years that he would get the better of Chamberlain in a one-on-one battle between the giant centers. O’Neal dominated in a more talent-rich and technical era but Wilt’s dominance over his era is something that will never be replicated in basketball.
Wilt was a more agile and athletically gifted center at his size, but Shaq was an absolute physical beast on the court. In his prime, nobody could move with the same power as Shaq. I’d take prime Shaq over almost anybody in a one-on-one, but Wilt would be an incredibly challenging matchup for him to contain.
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