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I am an American man whose journey has been blessed by the great gifts that America offers—wealth, fame, championships, awards—and also scoured by the tragedies that are a part of the human experience. I have lost too many loved ones. I ask for no pity; I only want to relate what I have felt and seen. I have hurt too many people. For that I ask forgiveness. An American life, after all, is the sum of its parts, the successes and the failings, and mine has been rich with both.
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Julius Erving (Dr. J: The Autobiography)