High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim. Erving helped legitimize the now- defunct American Basketball Association (ABA). He was the best known player in the ABA when the ABA- NBA merger joined it with the National Basketball Association (NBA) after the 1976 season.