Dr. J 76ers Jersey Expected to Sell for $500K+; Worn in 1st Road Game Post-NBA Merger
The jersey worn by "Dr. J" Julius Erving in his first-ever NBA road game is expected to be sold for over a half-million dollars at auction in the coming months.
According to TMZ Sports, the jersey is being put up for sale by Grey Flannel Auctions, and it is believed the sale price will surpass that of a Virginia Squires jersey worn by Dr. J during his ABA rookie season of 1971-72, which sold for $522,000 more than 20 years ago.
The jersey, which was photo-matched and deemed to be legitimate by Sports Investors Authentication, was from an Oct. 23, 1976, game between Erving's Philadelphia 76ers and the Buffalo Braves at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
Dr. J finished with 13 points and three assists in a 108-105 loss to the Braves one day after he made his NBA home debut in a 121-118 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
After starring collegiately at UMass, Erving spent his first five professional seasons in the ABA with the Squires and the New York Nets, winning two ABA championships and three ABA MVP awards.
Erving joined the 76ers after the ABA-NBA merger, and he went on to spend his entire 11-year NBA career in Philly, earning 11 All-Star selections, one NBA MVP Award and one NBA championship.
For his NBA career, Dr. J averaged 22.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. When taking his ABA stats into account, he is eighth on the all-time scoring list with 30,026 points.
Erving is considered one of the greatest basketball players in history as a result, and he was honored with an induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
In addition to wearing the aforementioned jersey during his first NBA road game, Erving also wore it multiple other times during his NBA rookie season, which adds even more value.
The jersey has yet to officially hit the auction block, but bidding for the one-of-a-kind item is set to end on Dec. 1.
