The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.
Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.
To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And for today’s article, we will continue with the sixth of six people to wear the No. 32 jersey, Hall of Fame wing Julius Erving. After ending his college career at UMass, Erving was picked up with the 12th overall selection of the 1972 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The East Meadow, New York native instead played the first two seasons of his pro career with the (defunct) Virginia Squires in the ABA, coming to an end when he dealt to the (then) New York (now, Brooklyn) Nets in 1973. His stay with the team would span three seasons (and two titles) before he had his contract sold to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976.
During his time suiting up for the Nets, Erving wore only jersey No. 32 and put up 28.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 32 – Julius Erving (1973-76)
Reporting by Justin Quinn, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
