And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight - I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub - there were things that I liked about it.
Julius Erving

And I continued to grow until I was 25 years old.
Julius Erving

Being a typical Pisces, I might have experienced mood shifts, but I don't remember any depression, or needing to do anything, or to have someone bring me out of being depressed.
Julius Erving

Every team that I've played on, I've either been the captain or co-captain.
Julius Erving

Goals determine what you're going to be.
Julius Erving

I always try to keep a pretty conservative demeanor on the court.
Julius Erving

I came from a broken home, so my mom was a major influence in my life.
Julius Erving

I firmly believe that respect is a lot more important, and a lot greater, than popularity.
Julius Erving

I grabbed 19 rebounds in my first professional game, and somehow found a way to score 20 points. I felt real good about it. I felt that this was the beginning of something good.
Julius Erving

I had to spend countless hours, above and beyond the basic time, to try and perfect the fundamentals.
Julius Erving


I keep both eyes on my man. The basket hasn't moved on me yet.
Julius Erving

I liked the game, I enjoyed the game, and the game fed me enough, and gave me enough rewards to reinforce that this is something that I should spend time doing, and that I could possibly make a priority in my life, versus other sports.
Julius Erving

I pulled the plug on it at a time that I thought was right for me to exit.
Julius Erving

I think I started learning lessons about being a good person long before I ever knew what basketball was. And that starts in the home, it starts with the parental influence.
Julius Erving

If you do things with a certain type of result and cause a certain type of reaction or effect, then you increase your market value. It's very much a competition for the entertainment dollar, and that's never been more clearly evident than in today's NBA game.
Julius Erving

If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.
Julius Erving

If you get depressed about being the second-best team in the world, then you've got a problem.
Julius Erving

If you've experienced having control, you don't want to be moved to a subordinate position, if you have your druthers.
Julius Erving

In 1981, at age 31, I was voted the best player in basketball, and the most valuable player in the league.
Julius Erving

In a lot of areas of my life, particularly in my teenage years, I began to think about the world, and to think about the universe as being a part of my conscious everyday life.
Julius Erving