Julius Erving explains why LeBron James isn’t on his all-time team

Julius Erving isn’t ready to put LeBron James on his all-time list.

It’s not necessarily because Dr. J doesn’t believe LeBron belongs there. He just wants James to retire first.

“I usually talk about retired players being part of all-time teams, not current players,” Erving told our friend Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on #WORDSWITHSCOOP. “LeBron is not retired yet, so it’s hard to put him in his position until his career is over.”

James is entering his 24th NBA season and his first with Erving’s former team, the 76ers. So perhaps there will be plenty more to add to the résumé before Erving makes his final determination.

And Dr. J certainly seems intrigued by what LeBron and the new-look Sixers could accomplish.

“That team can set records and win championships,” Erving told Robinson. “But they have to do it on the court, not with lip service.”

Philadelphia has assembled a loaded roster and created enormous expectations in the process. Erving knows a little something about those. His 1982-83 Sixers famously delivered on their own championship expectations, going 65-17 before rolling through the playoffs.

So Erving isn’t dismissing LeBron’s place in history.

He’s just waiting for the story to end before deciding exactly where it belongs.