Dr. J's (Julius Erving) final game at Madison Square Garden
The Some time ago, I was invited to go back to Madison Square Garden in New York to attend Dr. J’s final performance there at Madison Square Garden. And they had invited a group of physicians, athletic doctors, and they invited MacDonald Kerry from the daytime show, and Doctor Ruth was there. And when I got there, I got there around half-time I think it was, and the court was rather empty and they had all these people standing... I knew Mac Kerry, he was the only one there that I knew, and Dr. Ruth was so busy eating a hot dog and entertaining the crowd... She didn’t know who I was from Adam. So, I looked at this packed place and I saw a couple of people, you know, that kinda gave a Vulcan signal and that sort of thing, but there wasn’t much to-do about it. I thought, gee, this is gonna be embarrassing. So, when they started the ceremony at half-time for Dr. J, they had us comeout by the numbers. I think there were about eight of us, and I came out last. Dr. Ruth was first, and she was at the end of the line of the doctors, and I was nearest to Dr. J, who was in the center. And they were presenting him with going-away gifts, and his wife and so forth. So, when I came out last, I thought, well, this is gonna be some kind of a reception... I walked out, and I was never so shocked in my life, the house came down! Gosh, they were standing up and roaring. [applause] Thank you. Now the story is... So Dr. J thought, who in hell is coming out? He was facing that way. So he turned around to look to see who it was. It turns out that he’s a big Star Trek fan. So he gives me this big grin and he’s standing there and he gives me... we do a Vulcan high-five. Now Dr. Ruth sees... hears all this screaming and people standing up and we’re doing the Vulcan high-five, and she comes from all the way down around at the end and says, “Vat is zat sign?”
I said, “That’s a new sex symbol.”
[Convention: Los Angeles, 10/24/87]