蜜柚直播

Julius Erving 鈥� also known as 鈥淒r. J鈥� 鈥� will be the next featured speaker in the African American Museum of Southern 蜜柚直播鈥檚 鈥淔ireside Chat鈥� series on January 16 at Palo Verde High School.

Information and sponsorship packages for Erving鈥檚 speaking event in 蜜柚直播 can be found at . The event will be hosted by African American Museum of Southern 蜜柚直播 co-founder Bob Elliott, a former UA basketball star and All-American.

Erving, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member and former Philadelphia 76ers star, is the latest Fireside Chat speaker, joining Ruby Bridges, a civil rights activist who was the first Black student to attend William Frantz Elementary School during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis. Bridges is the subject of 鈥淭he Problem We All Live With,鈥� an 鈥渋conic painting by Norman Rockwell,鈥� Elliott said.

Other speakers to trek to 蜜柚直播: Carlotta Walls of the 鈥淟ittle Rock Nine,鈥� the first Black students to attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, and Stacey Snowden, the daughter of former UA basketball head coach Fred Snowden, who was the first-ever Black head coach at a major university in 1972.

Erving and Elliott鈥檚 relationship dates back to 1977, when the former 蜜柚直播 Wildcat was drafted 42nd overall in the second round by the Sixers. Erving just finished his second season in Philadelphia after he played the previous four seasons with the New York Nets (now Brooklyn Nets).

In preseason practices in 1977, 鈥渨e definitely struck up a brotherly relationship,鈥� said Elliott.

鈥淚n training camp, the veterans had their own rooms, while the rookies had to bunk up,鈥� Elliott said. 鈥淎fter the first week, there was a cut and I had a single room. Some of the vets, like Doug Collins and Henry Bibby, they were like, 鈥楬ey, put three of those little rookies in the same room together.鈥�

鈥淛ulius moved in with me and he鈥檚 been my big brother ever since. About six months ago, he and I and our wives were having dinner and he gets our newsletter from the museum and he said, 鈥業 want to do something for the museum.鈥� I said, 鈥榃ell, it would be great if you came into town and became a part of our Fireside Chat series.鈥欌��

During an appearance on ESPN 蜜柚直播鈥檚 鈥淪pears & Ali,鈥� Elliott discussed more about Erving鈥檚 legacy and how African American Museum of Southern 蜜柚直播 is faring since opening its doors on Jan. 14, 2023. Here鈥檚 part of the interview, which can also be heard on the Spears & Ali and platforms.

How would you describe the significance of having someone like Dr. J come to 蜜柚直播 to support the African American Museum of Southern 蜜柚直播?

A: 鈥淪omeone told me, 鈥榃ait a minute, Julius Erving coming to 蜜柚直播? Are you for real?鈥� Yes. His life is unbelievable. He is the reason why there was a merger (between the NBA and ABA). He鈥檚 going to get into all of that and (talk about) behind the scenes between the ABA and the NBA.

鈥淚t鈥檒l be a great chance for people in 蜜柚直播 to see a true sports icon, one who is very well-respected. 鈥� Someone asked President (Barack) Obama, 鈥榃ould you rather be the president of the United States or Julius Erving?鈥� He said, 鈥楴ot even a question, I want to be the doctor. I want to float from the free-throw line and dunk it.鈥� 鈥� What a lot of people don鈥檛 realize is Julius broke the barrier for a lot of pro athletes to be branded and marketed into other things like the Wheaties box or movies or endorsing products and becoming a member of the board of directors for major Fortune 500 companies. He bridged the gap for a lot of us in different areas.鈥�

How would you describe Erving鈥檚 impact on the game of basketball?

A: 鈥淭o put it into today鈥檚 language, Julius is like LeBron (James). He鈥檚 the focal point. He was the Michael Jordan before there was Michael Jordan. So I鈥檓 at practice and I learned very quickly that in the rectangle 鈥� a basketball court is the rectangle 鈥� he is Dr. J. He does things with the basketball that you just don鈥檛 believe or thought was possible. Once he leaves the rectangle, he鈥檚 Julius. I think that鈥檚 the thing I鈥檝e learned the most, which is be a pro athlete and do your job, but when you get out of rectangle, you鈥檙e just a person. What you do with your life as that person, that鈥檚 what makes a difference. That鈥檚 why he has always been one of my top mentors.鈥�

What were some of the messages and pieces of advice Erving conveyed to you when you first became a professional basketball player?

A: 鈥淢ultiple. Just so many. He was always teaching me even when he didn鈥檛 even know. 鈥� They talk about the great ones and how they make everyone better. Whatever Julius did in practice, I felt like I could do it. Professionally, Julius has always been about class and style. I remember when we were getting ready for our first game and Julius said, 鈥榃hat are you going to wear?鈥� I showed him and he said, 鈥楴o.鈥� He takes me down to a place called Boyds in Philadelphia, which was the place where he got his clothes and he said, 鈥楳ake him 鈥� talking about me 鈥� a gray three-piece (suit) and a brown three-piece; classic looks that you鈥檒l always be able to use.鈥� How you look in public makes a difference. I learned that in broadcasting. When I was doing TV, 90% of people, when you come on camera to begin the show, they鈥檝e already made an assessment as to how they think you鈥檙e going to sound like and what you鈥檙e going to say based on how you look regardless of what you say.鈥�

Since the African American Museum of Southern 蜜柚直播 opened nearly two years ago, how many visitors have you received?

A: 鈥淭he response from not only 蜜柚直播 and the Southern 蜜柚直播 community but all over the state 鈥� we鈥檝e had over 7,000 people come through the museum in the last year and a half. Just to give you a metric, the 蜜柚直播 State Museum across the street gets about 2,000 in a year. We鈥檝e had over 7,000 people and it鈥檚 a combination of the regular people and people who like to come to museums, but we鈥檝e had so many students. We鈥檝e had students come from Phoenix high schools, Casa Grande high schools, Flagstaff high schools and Yuma high schools. They come down and one of the byproducts of the museum is to try and help recruit future Wildcats. If the hook is the museum and they come down, now you have them on campus. Now that you have some of these high school kids on campus, let some of the admissions people take over, take them to lunch, give them some swag, give them a show about what the university is about and this how you increase not only the minority population in the school, but the total population.鈥�