NBA legend Julius Erving, commonly known as “Dr. J,” was disrespected in his home arena when the 76ers misspelled his name on the scoreboard.
In 1983, it would have been impossible to misspell Julius Erving.
Erving, a basketball legend who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history, won a championship for the 76ers that season.
Nearly forty years later, Erving was disrespected on his home turf with an egregious spelling error. When the 76ers were shining a spotlight on celebrities in the crowd, they showed a smiling Julius Irving, not Erving, on the jumbotron screen.
Some basketball fans considered a “fireable offense” to get something this important this wrong, especially when there’s a banner featuring Erving’s name draped in Wells Fargo Arena.
Philadelphia 76ers misspell “Julius Erving” on jumbotron
Although it’s difficult to imagine a 76ers fan who isn’t familiar with Dr. J, decades have passed since the 71-year-old graced the Philadelphia court. Still, his excellence is unmatched to this day, with snapshots of his impossible shots still leaving fans in awe of his ability.
Erving was also honored with the disctinction of making The Athletic’s NBA 75 team earlier this month, ranking at No. 19 on their list. Of course, Erving also graced the NBA 75 list last year.
It’s a bad look for the 76ers, especially when their social media team got his name right when they posted about him that same day. On the morning of their game against the Lakers, the team’s Twitter account posted a video honoring Dr. J in all his glory. The Doctor is immortalized in a Crypto.com NFT when he “rocked the baby” against the Lakers in 1983.
TNT also got Erving’s name right during their live broadcast of the game, showcasing him in a clip featuring courtside celebrities like M. Night Shyamalan, Meek Mill and Jimmy Rollins.