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Doc: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving |  | Author: Vincent Mallozzi
Creator: Dave Anderson
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $15.09
as of 7/31/2010 13:40 CDT details
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Seller: indoobestsellers
Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 354222
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0470170182
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.323092
EAN: 9780470170182
ASIN: 0470170182
Publication Date: November 2, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The definitive biography of basketball genius Julius Erving--the icon who transcended his sport and defined an era Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, was a wizard with the basketball, performing feats the world had never seen before: midair spins and whirls punctuated by powerful slam dunks, which he was the first to glamorize. In a career that lasted from the 1970s well into the 1980s, he was one of the first players to make extemporaneous individual expression an integral part of the game, setting the style of play that has prevailed ever since. He's also long been respected as a gracious, dignified, and disciplined man. As there are great men of history, there are great men of sports, and Dr. J is just such a man. This book tells Dr. J's amazing story, following his basketball journey from his Long Island childhood to the street games of New York City to a college career as his skills, reputation, and character grew. It follows his entrance into the ABA, where he revolutionized the game by glamorizing the dunk, and his conquering of the NBA, where he was Michael Jordan before there was a Jordan. It relates the family struggles he's had since leaving the game and charts the transformation of the man into myth. - The first complete biography of one of the greatest and most popular basketball players of all time
- Draws on interviews with Dr. J's childhood friends and his family to teammates and coaches at all levels
- Written by a New York Times sports journalist and author of Asphalt Gods: An Oral History of the Rucker Tournament
- Includes Erving's years as a player with the Virginia Squires, New York Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers
Read Doc and follow the incredible journey of the basketball genius who elevated the game off the hardwood and helped make it America's passion.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 35
 A fair biography, but comes off like a rough draft May 31, 2010
Judd Vance
Mallozzi, like myself, is a huge Dr. J fan (Doc is the reason I have endured nearly 30 years of misery from the Sixers). The book was informative and entertaining. It does have three drawbacks, though.
The first drawback is that it is one thing to be a fan. It is another to be over-the-top (think Johnny Most), and he does this in places. It's unnecessary to hyperbole to the skills and accomplishments of an athlete with the gifts of the good Doctor, and in my opinion, it takes away from the description.
The second drawback is that to talk about Doc's contributions to basketball, you cannot deny his commercial appeal. He had crossover appeal. He was Michael Jordan before there was Michael Jordan in the area of endorsements. Mallozzi makes a passing reference to Dr. Chapstick and describes his Dr. Pepper commercial in his older age, but largely ignores his numerous endorsements and how he changed this area for future basketball players (who could forget the Rick Barry and Dr. J Spalding cartoons in 1970s comic books? Who didn't wear converse in the 70s because he wanted to be like Dr. J?)
The third drawback is that Doc provided no interviews for the book. He quotes Doc from other interviews, but there is an obvious lack of that 3rd dimension you get from having the person provide more depth and reflection on the events.
To Mallozzi's credit, he does cover Doc's off-court problems, namely promiscuity, and child-rearing. He covers it fairly, and even-handedly. He withdraws judgment (probably because it would be hard to criticize his idol), and lets the facts speak for themselves. Had he done this in the area of his play on the court, he would have written a much better book.
As it stands, it's not bad. It's just not great. If you don't know much about Dr. J, it's worth picking up and getting some background on one of the legends of the game.
 Excellant April 30, 2010
Freddie C. Mcfall Jr. (Columbus, Ohio)
Very happy with the book and the excellent service the company I bought it from and it came quick!!! Thank you again and I loved the price and the condition it came in!!! Good Job !!!!!
Doctor J and His Place in Basketball History April 19, 2010
C. Baker (Washington, DC)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a "biography" of Julius Erving, better known to sports fans as Dr. J, that relies almost exclusively on news and video accounts and an over decade old interview of the man himself. It also includes interview material with his former teammates and coaches, and they do add flavor to the biography, but not a lot of real substance.
It is shocking that for such a glowing biography of Julius Erving that he and his family apparently refused to be interviewed or contribute to it. This is not a true biography but an encomium to the athletic prowess, excitement, and unbelievable dunks and moves that Dr. J displayed in his youth, playground, college, ABA and NBA days. It essentially chronicles his athletic exploits and what the Doc did to create a vibrant and exciting style of basketball that kept the ABA alive for a while, and the he eventually brought over the NBA. His unbelievable dunks, hang time, and drives to the hoop are what this biography is all about.
There is really very little about Julius Erving's private life and boyhood in this biography. It does paint him as a paragon of virtue as far as being fan friendly, great with teammates and coaches, and dedicated to his craft. The last section of the book does go into some detail, although again relying on mostly news accounts, of his lack of virtue in his family life leading to his eventual divorce from his first wife, Turquoise.
But, as the author himself says, the book is a "valentine" to his sports hero. And if that is how this biography is judged, it is definitely a very readable and informative account of the Doc's career and place in basketball history.
 DOC The Rise & Rise of Julius Erving April 18, 2010
Mr. A. R. Pirikahu (Perth, WA, AU)
I found this book to be a great read, honest in the fact that some of the peolpe that were closely associated with the DOC'' in a personnel or Professional way gave a very honest opinion of what they thought of the man in which I argree That he is the one of the greatest Basketballers to ever play the game. If I had to pick between the DOC or Micheal Jordon, Sorry Mike but the DOC wins, because what you see in the modern era with dunks & some of the moves of todays players I truely believe the DOC had a lot to do with it.'
The way he conducted himself, I wish that some of the modern players can take a leaf out of his book, abput humiliaty of the guy & willingness to put on a good show for the fans & that here waas a guy who came up from humble beingings to Greatest, yes there are other great players as good as the DOC ( Larry Bird , Bill Russel, Pete Maravich to name a few )
Good but flawed biography of the Doctor March 18, 2010
L A. (NY USA)
I remember watching and being thrilled by Dr. J when I was a kid. He was, without a doubt, one of the best basketball players ever and one of the first to thrill the crowd with his fantastic, gravity defying dunks.
This biography is a tribute to Dr. J, written by a Dr. J fan but, its only flaw is that Dr. J did not contribute to the book at all. The author references many other sources such as newspaper articles, quotes from players who played with and against him and other books for information. It would have added a great deal of interest to the book if Dr. J offered some insight into his life on and off the court. That being said, I enjoyed this book a great deal. It is an easy and quick read with insight into Dr. J's early childhood and his basketball exploits on the courts of Long Island.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 35
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