Julius Erving, aka Dr. J, is justifiably a legend. A New Yorker, he played college ball at UMass, where he put up huge numbers. Yet according to this video, he never really saw himself as a pro player until he began competing against NBA players in New York in the summers.
Once he got to the ABA though, he finished what guys like Elgin Baylor and Connie Hawkins started, turning it into an unpredictable aerial assault on the basket.
Erving said once that he had missed dunking, which was banned during his college years, and when he could do it again, he kind of went nuts.