Julius Erving said he is the best in-game dunker ever: 'If you took 100 dunks, I would put my 16 years' worth up against anybody'

Julius Erving is recognized as one of the greatest dunkers of all time. The 1981 NBA MVP won the first-ever dunk contest in 1976, and long before Michael Jordan, he was the first to take off from the foul line and dunk the basketball.

After Erving, the NBA's Dunk Contest saw several iconic winners, including Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, and Vince Carter. In 2010, Julius was asked by ESPN who he thought would win in a hypothetical dunk contest between himself and the three other great dunkers.

"I'd have to come up with something now. I don't like playing for second place," said Erving. "But let's say if you were going to take the course of a career, Dominique has probably had the most spectacular dunks. Vince has been amazing, but he's got some dues to pay. I don't know…"

Best in-game dunker of all time

If "Dr. J" faced MJ, Nique, and Vince in a dream dunk contest, the Philadelphia 76ers legend would have to up the ante. Although he was ahead of his time when he won in 1976, dunkers who came after Erving not only copied his dunks but also created more creative entries.

While Erving refused to say if he would beat the three in a hypothetical dunk contest, jr was confident that he was the better in-game dunker than all of them. According to Julius, if you make a highlight reel of in-game dunks for all of them, he would bet on his compilation.

"Let's put it this way: If you took 100 dunks, they had to be in-game conditions," added "The Doctor." "I would put my 16 years' worth up against anybody, against any of those guys."

We don't even have a video of "Doc's" best in-game dunk ever

Erving's proposition, however, might not work in his favor. While there is a comprehensive collection of Mike, Nique, and Vince's career dunks on the internet, there aren't plenty of early "Dr. J" clips available online because TV coverage of the ABA and the 70s NBA isn't what it is today.

For example, "Dr. J" once told Bill Simmons that his best in-game dunk ever was the one he threw down over Elvin Hayes. Unfortunately, there's no video clip of that dunk online. Erving's proof of that incident is his story that Hayes seemingly snubbed him while they were at the same dinner table during the NBA's 50 Greatest Players ceremony.

Still, it's hard to dispute "Dr J's" claim. And it's hard to think that Mike, Dominique, and Vince would argue with him either, considering all of them looked up to Erving growing up. And it was Julius who paved the way for their high-flying acts.