April 27, 2026
He feels most players don’t know the history and if so, they would participate in the contest
NBA Hall of Fame player Julius “Dr. J.” Erving has called on current players to “learn the history” of the All-Star Dunk Contest to encourage some of the bigger stars to participate in the annual event.
According to TMZ, while catching up with the former Philadelphia 76ers legend recently, the outlet spoke with him about the lack of spark the dunk contest has shown in recent years. Dr. J was known for playing the game “above the rim” and was the standard-bearer before Michael Jordan took what he had done and raised it to another level.
Dr. J was the winner of the first-ever All-Star Dunk Contest when it was initiated in 1976.
When asked whether the league should make participation mandatory for players, he said it shouldn’t be.
“They can’t make people do stuff these days. They make too much money to make them do anything. Sometimes they don’t even want to play.”
However, he feels that some of the stars should step up, and if they knew the contest’s history, they would probably feel compelled to participate.
“It’d be nice if some of the stars would step up,” says Dr. J.
Citing that some of the players weren’t even born when the first contest was introduced, Dr. J understands they may be oblivious to it.
“I was in the original, way back in 1976. So, some of them weren’t even born, so they don’t know the total history.”
“So, once you learn the history… you’re going to let some of the stars know that they should participate, right?”
Dr. J has recently partnered with Rockport in an endorsement deal.
In 1976, he was the first professional basketball player to have a sneaker deal. He signed his latest footwear deal as part of a campaign that uses artificial intelligence to recapture his younger playing days.
In the promo video, the 74-year-old basketball legend is shown on a basketball court, in a younger version of himself, wearing a basketball uniform, showcasing his skills. As the video progresses, so does Dr. J in age, but also, transitioning from a basketball player to a businessman. He starts the clip in a uniform and sneakers, but ends in a suit and shoes.
Dr. J was also recently featured in the Prime Video docuseries, Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association.
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