"Always standing in my way" - Julius Erving pays glowing tribute to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as greatest rival

Former NBA star Julius Erving was one of the early stars in the league who became an inspiration to many. However, according to Dr. J, there is one player who he considers to be his biggest opponent. On Monday's episode of "Come Talk 2 Me," hosted by former coach Mark Jackson, the former Philadelphia 76ers star talked about his experience in the league.

Erving played during the early days of professional basketball. However, his first stint wasn't with the National Basketball Association. The Hall of Fame forward had his start in the American Basketball Association during his first five years (1971 to 1976). After his fifth year in the league, it merged with the NBA, where he came across Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

According to Erving, he considers the former Milwaukee Bucks big man as his biggest rival.

“Kareem was always the guy standing in my way,” Erving said (Timestamp: 7:13). “I was always in his shadow because of the years in which we played and we overlapped… My ABA years, he was in the NBA. But then my NBA years, he was there every one of my NBA years.

“So any individual recognitions that I got, I always felt, that’s when I got him. I got some recognition that he didn’t get because I was MVP and he wasn’t.”

Because of his rivalry with Abdul-Jabbar, the 16-time All-Star views the 7-foot-2 center as the greatest to ever play.

“Personally, that was the guy who I look at as probably the GOAT,” he said.

During Erving's time in the ABA, he won the MVP for three consecutive seasons (1974, 1975, 1976). However, winning the award in the NBA was more difficult as he only won it once (1981).

On the other hand, Abdul-Jabbar won the MVP award six times during his career (1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980).

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's dominance took over during Julius Erving's time in the NBA

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a proven winner since his college days at UCLA, winning the NCAA title three times. His ability to win carried over in the NBA as he led the Bucks to one championship. After his stint in Milwaukee, he continued to dominate the league with the LA Lakers, winning five titles.

Julius Erving, meanwhile, didn't have significant team success. The star forward played for the Philadelphia 76ers his entire NBA career and only won the Larry O'Brien Trophy once.

Even with that, both stars are recognized as influential players.

For Dr. J, his gravity-defying dunks amazed fans, while The Captain's signature skyhook made him the all-time leader in scoring for 38 years.