Julius Erving Philadelphia 76ers 20,000th Career Point Game-Used Basketball | January 15, 1981 vs. Milwaukee Bucks

From the Collection of Julius Erving III,

Grey Flannel Auctions,

Private Collector

This basketball was used in the game played on January 15, 1981, when Julius Erving scored his 20,000th combined ABA/NBA career point against the Milwaukee Bucks. Erving finished the game with 28 points. Three of the ball's brown leather panels are painted white and inscribed "Julius Erving / 76ers logo / 20,000 Career Points / Jan. 15, 1981 / VS Milwaukee." The ball was presented to Erving at the scoring milestone and passed directly to his son, Julius Erving III, in whose possession it remained until its sale through Grey Flannel Auctions in 2014. It is accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity from Julius Erving III.

By January 1981, Julius Erving was at the peak of his powers. He would go on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award that season, averaging 24.6 points per game. The 20,000-point milestone was a testament to a career that had already spanned two leagues and two decades. Erving had first emerged as a transformative force in the ABA with the Virginia Squires and New York Nets, winning three ABA MVP awards, two ABA championships, and three scoring titles before the ABA-NBA merger brought him to Philadelphia in 1976. In the NBA, he continued at the same extraordinary level — an 11-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA First Team selection, and the driving force behind the 76ers' 1983 championship.

Following the ABA-NBA merger, Erving joined the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent all 11 of his NBA seasons. He was named NBA Most Valuable Player in 1981, was selected to 11 consecutive NBA All-Star Games, and led the 76ers to the NBA Finals four times in seven years, including the 1983 NBA Championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, and to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He finished his career with 30,026 combined ABA and NBA points, retiring as one of only three players in professional basketball history to reach that milestone, behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.