Bob Costas Believes Sixers Legend Deserves More Respect in Fan Discussion

The NBA’s longevity might have been different if it hadn’t been for Julius Erving’s Arrival.

Mar 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Sportscaster Bob Costas before a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the San Antonio Spurs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Nowadays, when fans list the greatest NBA players ever, the usual suspects feature LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

Bob Costas would like to add to that list.

Costas, an NBC sportscaster whose vocal illustration shaped 1990s NBA broadcasts, believes that Julius Erving deserves respect in those conversations. He believes Erving, between his contributions to the NBA and ABA, is one of the most impactful players in the sport’s history. If it weren’t for Erving, the NBA as we know it might look very different today.

“If you’re a 25 to 30-year-old fan, you don’t have first-hand memories of Magic Johnson or Larry Bird or Michael Jordan,” Costas said in an interview with David Shepard of Sirius XM. "But there’s enough about them out there that you’ve kind of absorbed it. I think Dr. J doesn’t get his due in that respect. He is one of the most significant players in the history of basketball.”

The ABA ran through Erving

Erving dominated the ABA when he began his career with the Virginia Squires in 1971-73, tallying 27.7 points per game. But he only ascended, overpowering the league with his athleticism and gossip-worthy at-rim finishing. Erving led the ABA in scoring in three of his last four seasons, including all three years of his New York Nets tenure.

The Squires traded him to New York ahead of the 1973-74 campaign and Erving won Most Valuable Player three years straight, with championships in 1974 and 1976. Then, the NBA/ABA merger occurred in 1976. The Sixers poached Erving’s player rights from the Nets and it was just what they and the NBA needed.

If you want to know what Philadelphia currently needs, click here.

“There would not have been an ABA/NBA merger without Dr. J,” Costas said. “Dr. J was the signature player of the ABA, there was a lot of interest surrounding him. Some of it was word of mouth because very few ABA games were televised nationally. But people were fascinated with the idea of Dr. J.”

Why Erving mattered

Erving received All-Star honors in all 11 seasons with the Sixers, leading them to four Finals berths. He also received the 1980-81 MVP before Moses Malone arrived to help Philadelphia sweep the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1982-83 NBA Finals. Erving’s adaptability, playoff rising, and all-around prowess led him to be a legend—not only for the Sixers, but for basketball.

Before MJ took flight, there was Julius Erving...Every great one has had an idol. Dr.J was MJ's idol pic.twitter.com/eHJFWUfYi5

— NBA Dracos 🐉🏀 (@NBADracos) May 6, 2026

His entrance to the NBA came at a critical time. The league lacked marketable superstars despite Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s dominance. Its reputation was also at a low point, with drug usage and on-court violence giving the NBA bad publicity. It got to the point where Finals games were being tape-delayed in the late 1970s.

Yes, Johnson and Bird spearheaded the resurgence of the NBA. But their stories couldn’t be told without Erving and the Sixers standing in their way to dynasties throughout the early 1980s. The NBA indirectly tapped into its history with NBC regaining its rights to games. While Erving's prime occurred before NBC's old partnership with the league, it serves as a reminder of the greatness of players who came before the modern era.

“Not just a great player, but such a distinctive and exciting and high-flying player,” Costas said.

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