"HE WAS A LIKE A BIG BROTHER TO ME" - JULIUS ERVING NAMES THE FIRST PERSON TO INFLUENCE HIS OVERALL GAME AND MENTALITY

Julius Erving wasn’t the first player who gained worldwide popularity, but many consider him the first basketball superstar for obvious reasons. Honed in New York, a city rich in basketball culture, Erving quickly made a name for himself as the tallest and most gifted player at the Salvation Army in Long Island. It was where he crossed paths with Don Ryan, a volunteer Biddy Basketball coach who became his first mentor.

“Don was probably the first person who had a truly great influence on my sports career,” Erving told The New York Times in 2009. “The Salvation Army motto was ‘Carry the books and the ball.’ Don was the guy who taught me about accountability: there were no road games if you behaved like a bad apple. He was like a big brother to me and, maybe at that time, a father figure. He’s been a part of my life for a 50-year spread, never more than a phone call away, and I’ve made that call many times.”

The formative stage of Dr. J

Ryan knew right off the bat that Erving was special. Despite the Roosevelt-based then-12-year-old kid’s undeniable talent, Ryan said the young Erving was “very coachable.”

Nicknames were a huge thing at the time, and Ryan had given Erving a few catchy ones during their time together at the Salvation Army. Among them were “The Claw” and “The Medicine Man.” However, Ryan said “The Doctor” was very fitting “because he is a student of whatever he does.”

Once a Salvation Army player, always a Salvation Army player

Some may not know, but Erving grew up without a father. He was raised by his mother, Mrs. Callie Mae Lindsey, who supported him through the good, the bad, and the ugly of his Hall of Fame career. Ryan was also like that.

For Erving, when people talk about Dr. J’s legacy, it’s only proper that they also recognize Ryan and the great memories they’ve had at the Salvation Army.

“Being around a person like Don was a life-changing experience for me,” the Hall of Famer pointed out. “I did move on, but I didn’t burn the bridge back to home. The highest recognition of my life was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and when it was time for the ceremony, I told them I wanted to see a Salvation Army flag flying right behind my head.”

2023-06-01T14:00:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd