I finished reading “Doc: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving” by Vincent M. Mallozzi this past weekend and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. He took me back to my younger days when he was one of Dr. J’s fans trying his best to master spinning his fingers on a basketball to the hoop because he couldn’t dunk. Dr. J was one of my favorite basketball players of all time and he still is. So yes, I enjoyed reading the book.
The book really was written by a fan for fans. On the penultimate page, the author writes: “It is a pity that Erving did not want to participate in this project (several calls were sent to Erving’s representatives and his ex-wife, Turquoise, and their children, but most were not returned), because this whole book is basically a giant Valentine from one of his biggest fans.” That sums it up pretty well, and what’s wrong with that? Dr. J Julius Erving had a legion of fans and I’m sure many will enjoy being transported back to those glory days just as I was.
Does the book shed light on things that are not yet available? Probably not, but the author did a lot of research and talked to people to bring everything together in one source. Are there inaccuracies? Maybe, but talk to someone about anything that has happened in the past and you will discover inaccuracies. Happens.
Most of the book focuses on Erving’s basketball career. From his beginnings, he went through the ABA until his retirement from the NBA. Mallozzi does a good job of describing the electrifying performances of the legendary Dr. J. Reading the book took me back to the first time I saw some of those dunks on TV as they happened. Other stories made me wish the ABA games and street games in New York had been recorded.
The last part of the book briefly covers some of the things that happened with Erving after he retired. Much of this part is neither flattering nor as heroic as his exploits on the basketball court. There are bits about the one-on-one comeback game he lost to Kareem, marital problems including illegitimate children, divorce, and his children’s problems. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy reading this as much as I did about his fabulous dunks and the professionalism and poise he had playing and with those he played with. He was a childhood hero, and I enjoyed that part a lot more. Sure, I know he was human and had the flaws of him. Not all? I enjoyed reading about the positive elements of his life better than the negative. I’m glad the author included them in the book as they are part of who Julius Erving is, but I’m also glad these elements were a small part of the overall text.
If you are a fan of Dr. J., I highly recommend this book. If you want to learn a bit of history about a player who captured basketball like few others and is still considered one of the greatest of all time, check out this book. For me, I am very glad I read it. He took me back and helped me relive some great memories of a childhood basketball hero.