OPERATION FAREWELL : DR. J : Julius Erving Is Making Last Scheduled Stop Here Against Lakers Tonight

The first time they met was at a beach on Long Island. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, was a senior at UCLA, and Julius Erving was an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts.

Abdul-Jabbar’s parents lived in Queens; Erving grew up in Roosevelt, on the island.

“We talked a little bit,� Abdul-Jabbar said Saturday, “and we measured hands. I was amazed that his hands could be as big as mine, a guy who was just 6-foot-7.

“My palms were bigger, but I think his fingers were a little longer.�

Tonight in the Forum, before the Lakers play the Philadelphia 76ers, Abdul-Jabbar will take Erving’s hand in his--not for comparison but as a gesture of farewell and appreciation. Erving, who will be 37 on Feb. 22, has announced that this will be his last National Basketball Assn. season. Tonight marks his last regular-season game in Los Angeles, and Abdul-Jabbar will play a central role in pregame ceremonies honoring his long-time rival and friend.

It was about three years ago, Abdul-Jabbar said, that Erving vowed he wouldn’t retire until after Kareem did.

“I remember asking him how he felt--he was hurting at the time--and he said jokingly, ‘I’ve got to play one year after you play,’ � said Abdul-Jabbar, 39 and still going strong. “It was all very light-hearted.�

On the court, it was anything but. Three times in a four-season span, from 1980 to ‘83, Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers met Erving’s 76ers with the NBA title on the line. The Lakers won the first two times before the 76ers swept them in four games in ’83.

It was in the ’80 playoffs that Erving made the basket that is still shown on highlight films, a basket that began with a baseline drive past Laker forward Mark Landsberger. All five Lakers seemingly stood between Erving and his path to the basket, so Dr. J invented a new course: He went flying out of bounds underneath the basket, and while airborne, reached around from the other side, under Abdul-Jabbar’s reach, and softly tossed the ball in, off the glass.

Saturday, Abdul-Jabbar added a postscript to that basket.

“Julius will be the first to tell you I usually get (block) that one,� he said. “He’d tried it before, and I’ve gotten a number of them.�

What makes Erving special, Abdul-Jabbar said, “is his personal charisma on top of being a great athlete. He enjoys the game. He’s patient with the public and media.

“He made himself very accessible, which meant a lot in terms of marketing the game, creating fans of basketball.�

Until recently, Abdul-Jabbar kept his public at a considerable distance. Asked if he was ever envious of the relative ease with which Erving dealt with the outside world, Abdul-Jabbar shook his head.

“He’s had to pay a price for it,� Abdul-Jabbar said. “It’s meant a lot of his time.�

Tonight will be a time for goodbys.

“I think it’s nice,� Abdul-Jabbar said. “I’m glad to have the chance to do it.�

Laker Coach Pat Riley recalls another Dr. J drive, this one in the ’82 playoff series.

“I remember a jam he made over (Michael) Cooper,� Riley said. “He cupped the ball at his side and went into a windmill and from the free-throw line let it go.�

It’s not an illusion, Riley said. With a running start, Erving could take off from the foul line and stuff the ball.

“I’ve seen it,� Riley said.

He’s also glad to see Erving making his farewell tour, just as John Havlicek did when Havlicek finished his career with the Boston Celtics.

“I have a hard time with the dying superstar, being criticized for the things they can’t do anymore,� Riley said. “Let them go out with horns blaring, send them out into the open fields of the rest of their lives.

“By doing this, I think he (Erving) is getting a textured taste of his career. He doesn’t need more adulation. I really think Doc sincerely wants to thank people.

“I hope Kareem someday goes out the same way. When you leave a career, it’s like mourning a death. Why not say goodby the right way?�

Erving, Riley said, probably could play for another couple of seasons.

“But a player has to have a sense of finishing in his mind before he can retire,� the Laker coach said. “It has to be an inner concept. Once he has a sense of things being finished, then he can go out on top.�

Erving was the ultimate role model, Riley said.

“If Dr. J deserves any credit, it goes above and beyond being a player,� Riley said. “He is a great ambassador, dignified and classy.

“What he showed was that he wasn’t just a slam-dunk player who didn’t care about anybody.

“You take him for granted, Kareem for granted. You think they’re going to play forever. We have to learn to appreciate these people while they’re here.�