What if Doctor J had been allowed to play alongside Pistol Pete.

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An often-forgotten nugget in the annals of basketball history is Maravich and Erving were teammates in 1972 for three exhibition games. That’s right.

One of the greatest ball-handlers and scorers was paired with one of the 20 greatest players, leapers and all-around athletes in this game called life.

How the two came together and quickly separated is as much folk legend as it is Romeo and Juliet-esque.



Joined in union due to Dr. J’s falling out with the Virginia Squires over contract disputes and one hell of a shady agent, Erving flew to Atlanta to sign a four-year contract in 1972 with the Hawks that would’ve paired him alongside Walt Bellamy, Lou Hudson and, of course, Maravich. And sign the contract he did.

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Pete wanted Julius as a teammate and vice versa. In 1987, only months before his death, Maravich recounted his brief on-court marriage with Dr. J.

“Julius was the most creative player that I’ve ever played with. It was so easy to play with him. I think during that time my average was about 14 or 15 assists per game,” the LSU legend said. “I’d just come down the court and his eyes would see mine — and I knew that he was going to the hoop. I’d just throw a little rainbow up there and it’d be history because nobody could get up like Dr J.”



The NBA as a whole and highlight junkies worldwide were robbed of the chance for The Pistol and The Doctor to matriculate into conductors of the greatest two-man fast break until two future Hall of Famers decided to call South Beach home while altering the course of pop culture history in the summer of 2010.

We see those two on YouTube every night. The only in-game footage of Dr. J and Pistol Pete is this. Cherish greatness, NBA fans. It rarely ever comes along. And it’s even rarer it actually works in our favor.