"The toughest business decision of my life" - Ex-Nets owner on dealing with Julius Erving after the ABA-NBA merger

Owning a sports team often means facing difficult choices. The late Roy Boe encountered this reality multiple times during his career, which included owning several pro teams.

With the New Jersey Nets, Boe once faced what he later described as "the toughest business decision of my life." This refers to his decision to sell the team's former superstar, Julius Erving, on October 20, 1976.

The Erving saga

The name Boe is probably best known for its connection to the aforementioned move involving Erving, who ultimately joined the Philadelphia 76ers . In this famous saga, two New York teams, the Knicks and the Nets, played a rather unfortunate role.

Boe purchased the franchise in 1969 when it was still in the ABA. In the following years, the team was victorious in two out of three Finals appearances, largely thanks to Erving , who was considered the best ABA player ever.

Afterward, the Nets decided to join the NBA, but the Knicks demanded nearly $5 million due to territorial issues. Along with over $3 million for the league entry fee, Boe, under financial pressure, proposed trading "Dr. J" to their city rivals in exchange for waiving this indemnity. Ultimately, the Knickerbockers declined for reasons that remain puzzling today.

Boe shared interesting insights

After that idea fell through, talks between Roy and Julius rose to the agenda. This was necessary as the star player's agent, Irwin Wiener, had allegedly spread rumors of a "handshake agreement" regarding a contract extension. While Boe stated that this was "not true," he met the then-small forward for dinner to "maybe smooth things over."

"Julius was wonderful with me, very polite, as always," recounted the Yale alumni. "But in the end, he left me in Wiener's hands, and that was just a disaster, because Wiener talked him into sitting out all of training camp."

In the end, the then-47-year-old felt he had to let go of "Dr. J." While the legendary scorer went on to have an incredible NBA career, Boe certainly wouldn't have wagered all his money on that outcome.

"Don't forget, Erving was also having knee problems," he explained. "We were wondering if he would bounce back and be the same player he once was, so that factored into our decision-making process as well."

In hindsight, Boe noted that the "lickings" he received for "selling Erving" were unfair. He believed he had "legitimate reasons" for his decision, and considering the broader context, that might be true.

Before the 1977-78 campaign, the then-owner moved the Nets to New Jersey, and not long after, he sold the team .

Related: Julius Erving believes no player is similar to him in the modern NBA: “I was a small forward, but I really played like a power forward”