Awe-inspiring "in your face'' slam dunks! Gravity defying leaps to the basket! Soft kisses off the backboard! All vivid memories of the first "king of the sky-walkers'' -- Julius Winfield Erving II.

But to the now retired basketball legend, known simply as Dr. J or Doc, they are just that...memories.

For the former ballplayer turned businessman prefers not to dwell on what has happened beforehand, but what lies ahead.

"The past is nice...but the present and future is where it's at,'' said Erving, currently enjoying a vacation in Bermuda as a guest of basketball shoe giant Converse.

Here and now for the 43-year-old are various undertakings in the highly competitive and unforgiving corporate world.

He is the owner of one of the largest minority-controlled businesses in the United States in the form of a Coca-Cola bottling and distribution outlet, as well as being an investor in a cable TV operation. There are also several other smaller interests that he plays a role in.

This past week he has spent time taking in the beauty and sunshine of Bermuda along with his wife and daughter.

Tuesday saw him test his 13-handicap on the links at Castle Harbour as part of a 10 team golf tournament organised by Converse -- he shot somewhere in the high 80's.

"I've been on the Converse advisory staff since early 1970's,'' he informed.

"So it's almost a 20-year relationship and one in which I not only endorse the products that they use, but I am also a consultant in regards to research and development and also promotion and marketing.

"I think that Converse is a dominant player in the basketball shoe market.

It's the best product out there...it's very competitive.'' Erving's class is seemingly evident in everything he does, from high-profile sportsman to successful businessman -- definitely no "dumb jock'' here. His mere presence casts a warm glow and a smooth style and grace serve only to further enhance this aura.

Many have failed in the conversion from the status of elite athlete to regular human being. However, Erving has found a way to channel the competitive fire, that drove him to many on-court successes, into his current role as entrepreneur.

As a proud African-American, one who has not forgotten the sacrifices made by his forefathers and understanding the need to put back into the community, he also has tried to help pave the way for the entrance of other deserving blacks into the corporate world.

"The similarities (between playing basketball and business) start where you can't take the lone ranger approach to getting on the road to success...you have to take the team approach,'' said Erving, who was born in Roosevelt, New York, and now resides in Philadelphia. "You have to be dependent on team-mates and carry your own weight. You have to be a responsible person they can count on. And that's how things work in sports, a team is only as good as the weakest link, so you have to make that link stronger and in time do what it is that you do.

"The main difference in business is that there is no off-season.

"It's 24 hours, seven days a week that you're dealing with a competitive force that is trying to take some of your business.

"I'm really into employing people ...doing things that will provide employment opportunities for other people, particularly black people, but people who have competency and who want to do something to better themselves.

"I've lived the American dream and I would like to set the stage for others to be able to live the American dream and I can only do that, I think, if I give of myself and time and resources in a way that it's unique unto me.

"I have a platform because of professional sports, but I also have deep personal goals, just because of what I see and how I feel and how I've been inspired by others...my role models and my spiritual beliefs. So I can't sit still and rest and think of `well I was a professional basketball player' and live off those laurels. You've got to deal with the present and the future.'' Still, what appears to many fans of the bygone era are those many intense match-ups, pitting Erving and his Philadelphia 76ers against the swarming green of the Boston Celtics led by another superstar, Larry Bird.

At one moment there is Erving swooping around and over opponents in his quest to reach the basket, while at the other end Bird pulls up for a three pointer or executes a deft touch pass, allowing for an easy score by a team-mate.

However, their exits from the "world'' of the National Basketball Association were as diverse as their on-court games. While Erving retired in 1987 under his own terms after a 16-year career, Bird was forced out last year by a troublesome back injury that continues to plague him.

"Larry's here on this trip and we got a chance to visit a little bit, he's enjoying his family life and still trying to get himself totally healthy,'' said Erving, six-foot-seven and still looking as svelte as during his playing days. "Most of the top players I played with have now moved on, only Moses Malone is still playing.

"There's a mutual respect and camaraderie between us. You always want to leave the door open so that you can call on them to participate in something that you're doing, whether it's a fund raising effort or business opportunity or just something socially.'' Among the final analysis were counted three championship rings for Erving -- two in ABA with the New York Nets and one in the NBA as a member of Philadelphia -- 16 All-Star Game appearances, more than 30,000 career points, four league MVP awards and most recently, induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Nevertheless, Erving talks just as enthusiastically of his present career and while admitting that he may never have a "normal life'', with his storied past a continuing factor, he is determined not to make that a crutch as he moves closer to the horizon.

JULIUS ERVING -- "The past is nice...but the present and future is where it's at.''