TUCSON, Ariz. — When planning his next fireside chat, Bob Elliott, President of the African American Museum of Southern Arizona, called up an old friend.
“Bob was one of my teammates," basketball legend, Julius Erving said. "When he asked me to come out, I had a feeling he was going to do it the right way and so far, that’s exactly what’s happened. It’s being done the right way.”
Elliott and Erving spent the night reliving his career.
“I remember my dad saying, 'Before you talk about Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird,let me tell you about the Doctor and what he did,'" TUSD Superintendent, Dr. Gabriel Trujillo said.
Over 16 seasons, Erving won three championships, four MVP awards, three scoring titles, became the only player to win MVP honors in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA).
The list goes on and his impact on basketball will never stop, sharing a message to young athletes.
“I’ve always been a team player," Erving said. "The ones that are being coached need to listen to their coach. Always need to listen to their parents. They need to care about their craft and good things will happen.”
Off the court, Erving takes this opportunity to shine a light on the museum
“They’ve had more than seven thousand visitors, they’ve been around approximately three years," Erving said. "Maybe with me coming here, it will bring more attention to it. Maybe that number will increase and then the economic impact can be better and be put back into the community in a servicing way.”
All funds from this event will go directly back to the museum.
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Erin Patterson is a reporter for KGUN 9. She's agraduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s in News Media with a Sports Concentration. Erin recently obtained her Master's Degree in Sports Journalism from Arizona State University at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, where she gained experience a sports reporter, anchor and producer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Erin by emailing erin.patterson@kgun9.com.
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