Rather, his strong stance comes from the fact that Russell’s legacy is simply unmatched. I wouldn’t even try to compare Kobe Bryant to Russell.”Įrving, who played against Russell (and coincidentally, Bryant’s father), explained that his feelings involve no disrespect for the Laker legend. Bill was 86 years old, so address it like that to an 86-year-old - multiple champions, multiple coaching champions, multiple on-and-off the court champion, or whatever - there’s no comparison. “We’re fresh into that but let’s see how that works out. “I don’t think he should be compared with the Russell situation,” Erving explained to TMZ at Los Angeles International Airport. J: ‘I Wouldn’t Even Try to Compare Kobe Bryant to Russell’Įrving was candid about the buzz surrounding a potential Kobe Bryant jersey retirement. Yes, Lakers fans wanted Kobe Bryant, who died in a plane accident in 2020, to have his number retired in the rafters.Īnd recently, Sixers legend Julius Erving weighed in on the debate.ĭr. 6 as a posthumous honor makes perfect sense.īut in almost no time, the Celtics’ principal rival demanded the same treatment for one of their native sons. So the league setting aside Russell’s No. When he took over as a player-coach in 1966, he became the league’s first Black head coach in NBA history. Even more impressive, the legend was a 12-time All-Star, earning the honor every season of his career except his rookie campaign. Russell, who competed against the Philadelphia 76ers throughout his storied Celtics career, was an 11-time champion and five-time MVP. Shortly after his death on July 31, Bill Russell was honored by the NBA, which announced a permanent, league-wide retirement of the No. And that should never be forgotten.Former Philadelphia 76ers Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Bryant's Lower Merion High School basketball coach Gregg Downer share a moment. He remains a transcendent figure, a critical part of the league’s connective tissue. ![]() And while his post-basketball life has been marked by misfortune - a son died in 2000 and his marriage of 29 years dissolved in 2003 amid charges of infidelity ( among other things, he was found to be the father of former tennis star Alexandra Stevenson) - his on-court legacy is undiminished. His jersey was retired, and a statue erected. When he retired in 1987, he was honored with a parade through the streets of Philadelphia. Delaware County Daily Times sports columnist Jack McCaffery has always said that when the game was on the line, Erving’s demeanor would change - that it was abundantly clear he knew it was time to get down to business. We win together, we lose together.’ I think that was, to me, his greatest quality.” He knows he can do it, but (when) you’re in a position where you have to do it and you don’t do it, it takes strength of character to say, ‘We’re in this together. That’s easy to do at that level, when the game’s on the line or something’s on the line. Didn’t put anybody down for the mistakes they made. ![]() ![]() He worked as hard as anybody, if not harder. He didn’t consider himself better than anybody. That’s what stood out in my mind, I think, the entire time I was with him: He wasn’t arrogant. “Your hear a lot about superstars, (how) they put pressure on younger guys to come up to their level,” Jones told me. When I talked to Jones for the 2014 book 100 Things 76ers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, he was no less complimentary. And after it was over, it’s impossible to overstate how many people were happy for him, above everyone else. Then Moses Malone arrived, which lightened Doc’s load but allowed him to save himself for big moments - like those in the clincher. Philadelphia also fell to the Lakers in the ‘80 and ‘82 Finals, and after a Game Six loss in the latter series, Erving wept in the locker room of Los Angeles’ Great Western Forum. That led to the unfortunate “We Owe You One” ad campaign, not to mention repeated heartache. In all Erving notched seven points in the last two minutes and change of that one, a theatrical ending to a title quest that extended back to his first year with the Sixers, when they fell to Portland in the ‘77 Finals. But a personal favorite was his elbow jumper with 24 seconds left in Game Four of the ‘83 Finals (as shown at 1:35 of this video) which provided the Sixers, up three-love in the series, with a three-point lead and a path to victory. Signature Moment(s): His gravity-defying reverse layup in the 1980 Finals deserves mention, as does his rock-the-baby dunk in a 1983 regular-season game (at :26 of this video) that both came against a heavyweight team like the Lakers is certainly no coincidence, as Doc always thrived on a big stage.
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