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The Sixers have made it official: Per the team's official website, The Doctor (not you, Glenn Rivers) will be representing the 76ers at tomorrow night's draft lottery. Not sure anybody could be really excited about this (if it was Hinkie...) but sure, we can get behind a little history.
From the press release:
The Sixers announced Monday afternoon that Julius Erving, who spent 11 years with the franchise (1976-87) and helped deliver an NBA Championship to the city of Philadelphia in 1983, will represent the team on stage at the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery in New York City.
Julius Erving was officially brought back in May 2012 to serve as a special consultant / ambassador for the franchise, in order to distract people from the mediocre team bridge basketball generations together and lend insight to team decisions whenever possible. With several explosive leapers at the top of this year's draft class, having Erving represent seems particularly fitting.
This will certainly be his most memorable moment in his capacity as an ambassador, and Erving will be a part of another piece of team history, for better or worse. Should the lottery take a turn for the worst, Doctor J's disappointed mug will forever be attached to the evening; if it goes like Sixers fans hope, we may have to transfuse whatever good luck resides in his body into their new wave of players.
Former Sixers president Pat Croce was front and center the last time the Sixers had the second-best odds in the lottery, and he predictably got pretty excited when they were awarded the No. 1 pick. Erving will hope to follow in his footsteps -- though I imagine his celebration would be muted in comparison.