The Impact of Dr. J on Basketball

Before Magic or Bird, or Michael, or Kobe and LeBron, there was Julius Erving, a.k.a Dr. J, who elevated the game off the hardwood and helped make it America’s passion. DOC: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving (Wiley, December 2009, ISBN: 978-0-470-17018-2, $25.95 / Cloth) by Vincent M. Mallozzi is the definitive biography of an icon who transcended his sport and defined an era. We'll chat with Vincent Mallozzi on the impact Dr. J had on professional basketball and how as a journalist and author, Mallozzi now has to use the tools of public relations to promote his book. In DOC, Mallozzi has secured a wealth of interviews, from Erving's childhood friends to his family, from his teammates and coaches at all levels - Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Mike Fratello, Marv Albert, Bob Costas, Lou Carnesecca and many, many more. Each of these interviews builds the story, the story of a legend. DOC tells the story of the legend but also the story of the man. We follow Dr. J from his childhood in Long Island to the street games of New York City to a college career as his skills, his reputation and his character grew. Then arrived his entrance into the ABA, where he revolutionized the game by glamorizing the dunk, and his conquering of the NBA, where he was Jordan before there was a Jordan. It concludes with the family struggles he's had since leaving the game and the turning of the man into a myth.