When Julius Erving heads to Northeast Ohio to participate in the Williams Challenge Golf Tournament on Friday, June 5, at Good Park in Akron, the basketball icon known as Dr. J will be armed with important knowledge about the local sports scene.
"I haven't been to Akron yet, but that's where LeBron James is from and Steph Curry's from," Erving said during a virtual news conference on Wednesday, June 3. "They were born in the same hospital. I tried to do my homework there, and I got love for those guys who are NBA superstars. They've come back and done different things in the community from time to time, so Akron has native sons who have been very successful, and I'm sure the list extends way beyond those two."
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Erving is correct. He was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. Akron natives Nate Thurmond and Gus Johnson were inducted in 1985 and 2010, respectively. James, who was born and raised in Akron, and Curry, who was born in Akron but raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, will enter the hall of fame as soon as they're eligible.
In the meantime, Erving will be on the golf course this week with Frank Williams, the Akron native who founded the Williams Challenge in 2000. The golf outing provides students with scholarships in honor of Williams' late wife, Kay, who died in 1983 of Lupus.
Erving, 76, explained he enjoys championing community-focused organizations like the Williams Challenge because of a life-changing good deed he and some of his friends experienced while they were growing up on Long Island.
"It's a continuation of a long journey that started when I was pre-teenage years, and I was kind of taken off of the block by the Salvation Army," Erving said. "In the winter in Long Island, it was very cold, snowy, and we used to try to clear the court and play ball. A Salvation Army guy came by and said, 'No, this ain't right.' So, he took us to a gym. We were able to play inside, which now made basketball available to us all year-round, and the results are what they are."
Here are some other highlights from a half-hour media availability with Erving:
Dr. J envisions 'a great farewell tour' for LeBron James when the Akron native decides to retire from the NBA
As the Philadelphia 76ers opened the 1986-87 season, Erving announced it would be his last. A farewell tour commenced preceding his retirement in 1987 at the age of 37.
James, 41, recently completed his record 23rd NBA season and has yet to announce whether he'll play in 2026-27. However, the league's all-time leading scorer who graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 2003 is widely expected to resume his playing career. If James does indeed keep going, the next question is whether he'll re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, return to Cleveland for a third tour with the Cavaliers or join another franchise.
As for the retirement decision, it's "a personal choice," Erving said.
"By coming in through the ABA, I kind of came in through the side door, and I wanted to go out the front door," Erving added. "So, I made an announcement the year before I retired that this is my last season in basketball, and I hope for the best. It was season No. 16. I kind of like even numbers, and I felt as though by making that choice and making that announcement, then that would be really helpful in the next stage of my career.
"Now, the thing that it really helped with, my phone has never stopped ringing. That was 1987. The phone has not stopped ringing. I think a lot of that is because I made that decision. I made it public. The NBA gave me a farewell tour like they had never given anybody before. That's been followed by some nice farewell tours, and LeBron will have a great farewell tour city to city."
Erving is not a stranger to impressive longevity. He played 16 seasons. In 1983, he and the late Moses Malone led the Sixers to the 1983 NBA title. Malone played 21 seasons.
"But LeBron's going beyond that, and Moses was, like LeBron, productive at the end of his career, and that makes a statement, too," Erving said. "There are guys who just hang in there and maybe bounce from team to team at the end of the run and say, 'If anybody gives me a contract, I'm going to show up. If all I have to do is hang out in the locker room, then that's what I'm going to do.'
"But now you get a player who's a significant factor, makes his team playoff-worthy, a potential contender, and to have that type of longevity, I mean, that experience is unbelievable and so beneficial to the next crew that comes in. Because they're going to have somebody to look to and look at and talk to, and they're going to have validation of that person being around that long."
Dr. J says Victor Wembanyama is 'the future, and the future is now' with Spurs facing Knicks in NBA Finals
An All-Star forward in every season of his professional career, Erving entered the ABA in 1971 out of UMass, playing his first two seasons with the Virginia Squires and the next three with the New York Nets. Dr. J won two titles with the Nets. After the ABA and NBA merged in 1976, he spent the rest of his career (11 seasons) with the 76ers.
"I'm emotionally touched by the history of the ABA," Erving said.
A four-part docuseries titled "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association" has been available for streaming on Prime Video since February. Erving is featured in the docuseries, and he's one of its executive producers.
"That docuseries will, for four hours, not only entertain you, it will also educate you, and I think it'll make you smile," Erving said.
In the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, Erving said his loyalty lies with the Spurs.
"I'm all for the ABA teams, and I'm for San Antonio," he added.
Dr. J said he met Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama while attending an Atlanta Hawks-Spurs game.
"That was a cool moment," Erving said. "So, he's the future. He's the future, and the future is now because that's a very young [Spurs] team. The average age is in the low 20s for their starting lineup. So, we're going to be watching them for a while, and if we're lucky enough just to keep breathing, I think we're going to be treated to maybe some things that we've never seen in basketball."
Williams Challenge Golf Tournament information
Here is more information about the 26th Williams Challenge Golf Tournament:
- Date: Friday, June 5
- Location: J. Edward Good Park Golf Course, 530 Nome Ave., Akron, 44320
- Dr. J meet and greet: 7:15-7:45 a.m. (limited availability)
- Golf tournament: 8 a.m. shotgun start
Since its inception, the Williams Challenge has distributed more than $100,000, including $10,000 this year, in scholarships.
The golf tournament will include 18 holes of golf, cart access, lunch, prizes, raffles and additional activities. Proceeds from the golf outing directly support students pursuing higher education.
For sponsorship opportunities, registration or donations, visit williamschallenge.org or email [email protected].
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will LeBron James have a retirement farewell tour? Dr. J can see it
