Magic Johnson once shared a somber story about wanting a pair of Dr. J sneakers but his family not being able to afford them.

making it Dr. J -- he was born Julius Winfield Erving Jr. on Feb. 22, 1950 in East Meadow, N.Y. When he was 13, his mother remarried, to a sanitation worker, and the new family moved to Roosevelt ...

Unquestionably the greatest known athlete in UMass history, Julius Erving, known simply to the world as "Dr. J," played basketball for two seasons under legendary head coach and fellow UMass Athletics ...

making it Dr. J -- he was born Julius Winfield Erving Jr. on Feb. 22, 1950 in East Meadow, N.Y. When he was 13, his mother remarried, to a sanitation worker, and the new family moved to Roosevelt ...