Julius Erving, better known to most of you as Dr. J, represented the Philadelphia 76ers at the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday night. The Sixers finished with the second-worst record in basketball this year behind the Milwaukee Bucks. They have two selections in the first round of the upcoming draft, one of which was guaranteed to be a top-five pick. Dr. J lost track of that for a brief moment.
When the announcement was made that the Sixers had earned the No. 10 pick in the draft, Dr. J looked like somebody punched him in the gut. For a second, the 11-time NBA All-Star must have thought Philly had gotten royally screwed. Just look at the face of disgust.
Dr. J later admitted that he was confused.
“When I saw 10, I was perplexed,” he said. “What the heck? We’ve got the second-most ping pong balls and we’re 10? I almost felt bad, but then (Orlando Magic representative) Pat Williams gave me the light, and when they started announcing what had happened and that we had the tenth pick, then it was OK.”
Fortunately, Erving quickly realized that Philly had won the No. 10 and No. 3 picks in the first round. They would have liked to have secured the top spot, but at least they didn’t fall to No. 4 or No. 5. Dr. J felt a little better later in the program, either because he was happy with the results or couldn’t help but notice how adorable Bucks owner Wesley Edens daughter was.
Either way, we’re glad the Doctor is no longer ill.
Screenshots and GIF via Philadelphia Magazine
H/T LBS tipster David
