Wimbledon Sensation’s Dad Is ‘Dr. J’

Former basketball star Julius “Dr. J” Erving acknowledged Friday that Alexandra Stevenson, the overnight tennis sensation at Wimbledon, is his daughter from an extramarital affair.

It was a startling admission from one of Philadelphia’s most beloved and charismatic athletes, a man also admired for his community involvement and his second career as a successful businessman and TV announcer.

“I acknowledge a relationship with her mother in 1980,” he said. “My wife, who has known from the beginning, and children are aware of this situation.”

Erving added: “All matters concerning Alexandra since her birth have been handled privately through counsel. I am pleased to see Alexandra, at 18, doing so well, and I applaud her mother’s efforts and courage.”

The question came up on Wednesday when the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel in Florida published a copy of Stevenson’s birth certificate, listing her father as Julius Winfield Erving II--Dr. J’s formal name. Erving initially denied he was Stevenson’s father after the story came out.

Stevenson’s mother, Samantha Stevenson, is a freelance journalist who worked in Philadelphia when Erving starred there for the 76ers. She has stirred Wimbledon since the start of the tournament, with accusations of racism and lesbianism on the tour and a dispute over prize money.

She has refused to discuss the father of her 6-foot-1 daughter. Mother and daughter had no comment after Erving’s statement.

“I just focus on my tennis and let everyone else deal with all that,” Alexandra Stevenson said before Erving made his statement. “I’m quite oblivious to most of it. I haven’t been reading any newspapers, just playing tennis.”

On Friday, Stevenson became the first qualifier--a player who gets into the tournament by winning a preliminary competition--in Wimbledon history to reach the women’s semifinals. She beat another qualifier, 16-year-old Jelena Dokic, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. The major stars at Wimbledon get in by invitation.

Erving, 49, said that he has met Stevenson only once, when she was 3, and that it was “her call” as to whether they would renew their relationship. He said he has been supporting her financially.

The Hall of Famer, now a vice president of basketball’s Orlando Magic, has four children with his wife, Turquoise. They married in 1972.

Erving revolutionized basketball with his high-flying slam dunks and charisma during a 16-year pro career that ended in 1987. He was Michael Jordan before Jordan came along.

The enormous Afro he wore during his early playing days has been cropped, and now his serious, executive demeanor is accented by gentlemanly eyeglasses, pinstriped suits and his gray hair.

After his retirement, Erving and a partner bought a Coca-Cola franchise and got involved in other businesses, including cable TV systems. He has also worked as a basketball commentator for NBC.

Because of the way Philadelphia adored him on and off the court, the news swept the city. The page-one headline in the Philadelphia Daily News screamed, “Dr. Dad,” and Erving’s story led newscasts on radio and TV all afternoon.

Until recently, his public reputation had been impeccable. However, two of Erving’s sons were arrested last July and charged with possessing a crack pipe and burglarizing a car.