GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Julius Erving: the case for the GOAT

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    Julius Erving: the case for the GOAT

    Forward · Nets, 76ers · Born 22 February 1950, East Meadow, New York, USA · Career 1971–1987

    'Dr. J', a high-flying forward who made the ABA a must-watch league with the Virginia Squires and New York Nets before starring for the Philadelphia 76ers.

    Career highlights

    Why Julius Erving could be the GOAT

    Erving brought above-the-rim artistry to basketball and won MVPs and titles in two leagues. Before Jordan, he was the sport's greatest showman and a proven winner. His total body of work across the ABA and NBA puts him in a class of his own.

    What fans say

    Julius Erving is #21 of 30 in the fan ranking, with a 4–8 head-to-head record from 157 NBA votes. See the full NBA GOAT ranking

    Julius Erving head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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