In 1967, another professional league formed to compete with the NBA, it was the American Basketball Association. This league created a more lively and colorful format of competetive basketball. The ABA adopted a red, white, and blue ball that looked like a kaleidoscope as it travelled airborne to the basket. The ABA created a weapon similar to a bomb in football or a homerun in baseball; this was the quick hitting three-point shot. It strayed from the strictly disciplined offensive schemes prevalent in the NBA at the time and utilized more of a free spirited type of play often seen on the playgrounds of inner-cities. Though these innovations made for a more exciting and entertaining contest, the league did not have enough marketable players to carry it to prosperity. This would all change with the signing of one player.
In three years of starring on the University of Massachusetts basketball team, Julius Erving would average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds a game. He created so much excitement at the amateur level that lines of fans would form hours before tipoff, in hopes of seeing the man, otherwise known as "Dr. J", play the game of basketball; and this was at a time when slamdunking was illegal in the college game. After his Junior year at UMass, the ABA franchise Virginia Squires would lure Erving into the league with a four year contract worth $500,000. The ABA finally had a legitimate draw that they could market.
In his rookie year as a Squire, he would immediately live up to the hype surrounding his signing. While amazing people with leaping ability and airborne acrobatics never before seen, he averaged 27.3 points and 15.7 rebounds a game to become the ABA Rookie of the Year. He quickly became the most popular player in the league, but most of Dr.J's thunderous dunks and aerial creativity were witnessed only by those in the arena. This is because television coverage of the ABA was minimal, to say the least. His early growth of popularity stemmed not from the multimedia sources of today's world, but by the word of mouth historically used to describe the feats of mythical figures. Following his explosive rookie year, he realized that considering the impact he was bringing to a needy league, he was underpaid.
