If you have been watching Winning Time, you know that is leading up to the 1980 NBA finals. The Lakers won, thanks to Magic’s incredible game six, when he started at center to replace the injured Kareem, an amazing feat for a rookie point guard. Before that, however, came the razzle-dazzlest play of the Doc’s dazzling NBA career, when he made a layup from behind the backboard in game four. He created enough hang time to smoke a cigar, nailed the shot, then collapsed to the floor before hustling back on D.

* I specified NBA because Julius did this kind of thing almost every game in the ABA, when he was highly encouraged to put on an individual show, given that his aerobatics sold tickets, and the league needed that desperately.

A great career.

He’s no stranger to fans of the Fun House, as he appeared in plenty of nudity classics. Most notably, he was the guy who smashed the door down to get at Kathleen Turner in Body Heat.

In the less specific flow of Western Civilization, he earned an Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman, and was nominated several other times. An IMDb user listed his top 25 films and there are some great ones in there, and it does not even include A History of Violence or Dark City, two of my favorites.

The family did not list a cause of death, but I suppose the prostate cancer finally got him. I did notice that his recent performances have not been very physical. He’s often the mysterious, brooding figure on the edge of the action.