"I try to outthink them" - Julius Erving shared how he co-existed with young players in 1983

One thing that most players dread is reaching the twilight of their NBA career. The need to adjust to the game is a must. A player who was able to do just that in his 30s was Philadelphia 76ers legend Julius Erving .

The Doctor had quite a career and played for as long as he could. However, Erving admits that as he aged, there were players who could outplay him with better athleticism.

Despite the advancing years, Dr. J's intellect remained sharp, allowing him to stay ahead of the game. With years of experience under his belt, the 1981 NBA Most Valuable Player relied on his wit to outsmart his opponents on the court.

It’s all in the mind

‘The Claw’ showed just that in the 1983 All-Star Game. He was the oldest player for the Eastern Conference squad but ended up leading the team to a win over their Western Conference counterparts, 132-123.

For his efforts, Erving was hailed as the Most Valuable Player of the spectacle, showing everyone that he could still play ball. It was his second ASG MVP plum, as he the first won the award in 1977.

Also, it was Little Hawk’s seventh out of 11 All-Star Game appearances.

“There are guys in this league who can outrun me and who can outjump me, but I try to outthink them,” the 12th overall pick of the 1972 Draft stated after the game per UPI.com .

Erving scored 25 points and six rebounds in that match, foiling the West's comeback attempt in the final minutes. It was the fourth consecutive year that the East won over the West. Backing up Super Julius was a young Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons. Zeke finished with 19 points, but all of these came in the first three quarters.

Sweet 1983 season

That season was made even sweeter for Erving as the Sixers went on to win the 1983 title, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals.

In that series, ‘The Doctor’ averaged 19.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals. He provided the necessary support to Philly’s top guns, Moses Malone and Andrew Toney.

Despite his age, Erving remained a key contributor to the Sixers before retiring in 1987; he spent 11 seasons with the franchise, owning career averages of 22.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 836 games.

The legendary high-flyer is a great example of how a player can remain competitive against younger athletes. He owned plenty of experience and used that to his advantage until his last pro basketball game.

Related: What Michael Jordan felt when he was compared to Dr. J: “It really does not offend me, it was a compliment”