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The Blair County Sports Hall of Fame has replaced one basketball legend with another.
Bill Walton, who had been scheduled to be the Hall of Fame's guest speaker for its 20th induction banquet on Saturday, April 13, has withdrawn for medical reasons.
Julius Erving, known as "Dr. J," has been secured in his place.
"We feel badly that Bill Walton is experiencing health issues that have caused him to miss several ESPN announcing dates over the past month, and we wish him well," Hall of Fame president Neil Rudel "That said, we are extremely pleased to welcome Julius Erving, one of the most exciting players in NBA history, to Blair County."
Rudel thanked the Washington Speakers Bureau for helping to facilitate the transition on short notice.
Some of the Hall's previous guest speakers include Joe Paterno, Terry Bradshaw, Bob Knight, Dick Vitale, Joe Theismann, Mary Lou Retton, Bobby Bowden, Jim Boeheim, Hines Ward, Chris Fowler, Ben Roethlisberger, James Franklin, Jay Bilas, Cael Sanderson and most recently (2022) Doug Flutie.
"We've had a great history of attracting some of the biggest names in sports, and Dr. J is definitely one of them," Rudel said.
During his 16-year career with Philadelphia, the New York (now Brooklyn) Nets and Virginia Squires, Erving won three championships -- one NBA and two ABA -- along with four MVP awards and three scoring titles
None of his teams ever missed the postseason.
He is the eighth-highest scorer in ABA/NBA history with 30,026 points
When he retired in 1987 after leading the 76ers to the 1983 NBA championship, Erving was the third-leading scoring leader in NBA/ABA history behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.
In 1980, Erving was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 35th anniversary team. In 1993, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
In both 1996 and 2021, Erving was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, respectively.
Erving was well known as one of the game's best dunkers.
In 1994, Erving was named by Sports Illustrated as one of the 40 most important athletes of all time and currently serves as founder/managing member of Dr. J Enterprises, engaging in business development, commercial utilization, merchandising, television, film, social media and philanthropic involvement.
Erving, 74, holds a degree in business management from the University of Massachusetts, as well as honorary degrees from Temple University and Philadelphia University.
What: Blair County Sports Hall of Fame's 20th induction
When: Saturday, April 13
Where: Blair County Convention Center
Inductees: Artie Fink Jr., Rachel Gehret, Mark Moschella, Tom Turchetta, Alli Williams
Team inductee: 2022 Hollidaysburg Little League team
Community Service Award winner: Jim Fee
Guest speaker: Julius Erving
Emcee: Bob Pompeani
Tickets: $100 each or $1,000 for tables of 10. Call Kathy Millward at 814-312-4753 or email kmillward@beardlegalgroup.com. Tickets already ordered will be mailed by April 1.