The NBA : Dr. J, Who Has Schooled Many, Still Has Something to Learn

For years, Julius Erving has been known as Dr. J, even though his only degree is an honorary doctorate awarded him by Temple University.

That may change.

Erving, 34, the Philadelphia 76ers’ star forward who recently signed to play another season, announced last week that he is going back to college to get a business degree. Erving has enrolled at his old school, the University of Massachusetts, where he left after his junior year to join the Virginia Squires of the old American Basketball Assn.

He has not been back--until now.

“I don’t know exactly what I’ll be able to get out of it,” Erving said. “But I know I will get something. After that, I may want to pursue a graduate degree . . . And maybe I can share my experiences with the school, too.”

Erving was talking about his business experiences, not highlights from his basketball career. During his 13 seasons in professional basketball, Dr. J has been a spokesman for Converse, Coca-Cola and Crest, to name a few sponsors, and is president of a financial holding company.

You won’t see Erving actually in the classroom, though. He will participate in the “University Without Walls” program, which doesn’t require attendance at the school. Erving said it will take him about a year and a half to earn a degree in business management.

When that happens, the Doctor finally will be practicing with a degree of his own.

Add Erving: During the summer, Erving was seriously considering retirement when his contract expired after this season. But a month after the Lakers’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to play another year, Erving did the same. He signed a one-year contract to play a 14th season.

Erving’s reasons for considering retirement were basically the same as Abdul-Jabbar’s. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go through another rigorous 82-game season.

“After last summer, I came to realize that, by Christmas, I’d know whether this would be my last year or not,” Erving said. “And by Christmas, I felt this was not going to be my last. The question was whether I’d retire too soon or too late. I put weight in both those factors. People tend to ignore the fact that early retirement from the game can be just as devastating to your self-respect as retiring too late.”

After considering the decision for a few months, Erving finally made up his mind after remembering a conversation he had three years ago with John Havlicek, former Boston Celtic star.

“John told me he could have played another year. And so could have Rick Barry, Bill Russell . . . and a lot of superstars in the game.”

Erving, who is earning $1 million this season, according to a list of recently published salaries, told George Shirk of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he will get a raise next season.

It looks as if Northern California will be getting another professional basketball team next season, providing you consider the Golden State Warriors professional.

In any event, Gregg Luckenbill, principal owner of the Kansas City Kings, has filed an application to move the franchise to Sacramento, his hometown. There is a good chance that the NBA will approve the move, but even if it doesn’t, Luckenbill is ready to move.

NBA owners, after all, have already revoked a rule preventing a franchise from moving within 75 miles of another team.

The Kings would play in a temporary 10,400-seat arena that is being built at a cost of $12 million. Sacramento is said to be the largest city in the United States without a professional or major college team of its own.

“We’re going to sell out every game,” Luckenbill told Bay Area writers.

If the Kings do move, it will be nothing new for that franchise, which has gone from Rochester, N.Y., to Cincinnati, to Kansas City. Omaha had a stake in the Kings for three seasons when the team was known as the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, but the Kings quit playing games there after the 1974-75 season.

If the franchise does move again, it won’t necessarily be switched from the Midwest to the Pacific Division. The Phoenix Suns would be the logical team to switch to the Midwest, but Jerry Colangelo, Phoenix general manager, is against that move.

“We intend to stay in the Pacific Division,” Colangelo said in a prepared statement. “We feel the rivalries we have established over the years should entitle us.”

Once the Kings’ move is made, the NBA Competition and Rules Committee will make a recommendation to the owners about how the divisions will be aligned.

The chairman of the committee? Jerry Colangelo.

After the Philadelphia 76ers had left town last weekend, Clipper guard Norm Nixon was asked to compare the 76ers, Boston Celtics and the Lakers.

His response: “The Celtics have the strongest team in the front line with Robert Parish, Larry Bird, Cornbread Maxwell and Kevin McHale. The best running team is the Lakers, without question. The team with the best combination of both is Philadelphia.”

So, who’s the best?

“There are other factors involved,” Nixon said. “Things like experience. Boston has the edge there. Philly’s got a lot of young players. But the Lakers are experienced, too, but need more strength. And Boston needs a better bench.”

So, who’s the best?

“I’m not going to say,” Nixon said, laughing.

NBA Notes Gerald Henderson made his first appearance in Boston last week since being traded to Seattle last fall after a bitter contract dispute. At halftime, Henderson was presented his NBA championship ring. Then, he finished the night with 15 points and 16 assists in a 107-97 victory. As the buzzer sounded, an elated Henderson dropkicked the ball at midcourt and ran to the dressing room. The only problem was that it was the Celtics’ dressing room. Henderson was halfway in before realizing his mistake. . . . It is practically a foregone conclusion that Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing will be the top pick in this spring’s NBA draft. But General Manager Pat Williams of the 76ers’ isn’t convinced that Ewing is the force everyone says he is. “There are 23 clubs that would love to have him,” he said. “He’ll be the crown jewel of the draft. But there are nights when you go to see him that you have to wonder about his ultimate greatness. I wish he were a better rebounder.” . . . The Cleveland Cavaliers were in Washington, D.C., last Monday to play the Bullets at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md. They had to move their practice site when some of the presidential inauguration ceremonies were moved indoors because of cold weather. “Why should we be the ones to move?” Coach George Karl asked.