Julius Erving snubs LeBron James and Kobe Bryant from his Top 10 best players of all time list

Whenever NBA legends give their takes on the GOAT debate, it always makes the headlines, especially because they all provide different perspectives on a subject that seems far from settled. While most have players like Michael Jordan on the top of the list, Hall of Famers like Julius Erving doesn’t believe that LeBron James should even make the Top 10. 

The famous Sixers icon recently went on an interview with Joy DeAngela and talked about several things, including superteams, Dame Lillard’s desire to play for the Heat and of course, his favorite players of all time.

The first half of the list was easy for him. “I have five guys who are untouchable – Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor,” he said. “That’s my all-time best team. Everybody else has to be on the second team or the third team, and I made this decision when I was 15 years old. I’m sticking with it now all these years later.

“There is no order. I think West and Robertson would be in the backcourt. Elgin Baylor would be in the frontcourt with Wilt and Bill Russell.”

Dr. J gave his top 10 players all time (no order) 👀

Bill Russell
Wilt
Oscar Robertson
Jerry West
Elgin Baylor
Kareem
MJ
Magic
Karl Malone
Tiny Archibald

You rocking with his list?

(via @joydeangela) pic.twitter.com/p83LhxodA6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 30, 2023

Erving then decided on the next four players to make his superstar list, to which he decided with ease. “The next group of guys would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Ervin ‘Magic’ Johnson, probably Karl Malone,” he mentioned.

Erving then struggled to name the last person on the list, before finally going for Tiny Archibald as his tenth and very surprising final selection. The interviewer then asked why players like Stephen Curry or LeBron didn’t make his Top 10.

The Hall of Famer then explained that these athletes still have things to prove and once they retire from the basketball courts he will consider them.

“He hasn’t played long enough. He has to finish his career. Everybody I named there, their careers are finished,” Erving assured.

Some time ago Erving talked about letting go of his Dr. J character and accept a new stage in his life

The Philadelphia legend was a huge success in the 70s, as he was remembered as Dr. J for most of his career. However, he revealed he stopped thinking of himself as Dr. J when he decided to accept God in his life.

“I divided my life into three periods. The first 11 years of my life, my parents were separated. When I was 11, my father was struck by a car and killed. He didn’t live with us, but still, now I didn’t have a father, and even though he hadn’t been around, now there was no possibility that he ever would be. At 19, I lost my brother, the only brother that I had. That ended the second phase. In the third phase, I just went on taking things as they came, and I became Dr. J, and that lasted until I was 29,” Erving said back in 1981. “That was when I accepted Christ.”

The Sixers superstar said that he realized that no matter how succesful he would become, people would betray him the second he no longer shined in the basketball court, so he decided to get closer to religion and leave behind his Dr. J character.

“Then I realized I was in a fourth period, the one I’m in now,” he added. “I see how sheltered I’ve been, how passive. That’s the thing I need to change.”