Alexandra Stevenson - 'Outside the lines'

There is an enormously poignant story about Julius Erving and his long lost daughter Alexandra Stevenson by Tom Friend as a featured story on ESPN's award-winning show 'Outside the lines'.

It will show up as a TV broadcast next Sunday morning Dec. 21 at 9.a.m. on ESPN. It is a story, often sad, but also with hope and reconciliation about what happens when a celebrity commits adultery and has a child outside of wedlock, and then longs for forgiveness and reconciliation after the fact.

So many have loved Dr. J through the years, and still do--- witness his recent Dr. Pepper commercials. But there is another side of the man, a man who cheated on his wife of many years Turquoise, several times, and on more than one occasion it led to the birth of a child--- in this case Alexandra Stevenson, a budding tennis player on the women's circuit.

What I find especially moving about this whole story is Alexandra's willingness to forgive a father who had really no part in her life before she was 18, a father whom she still has trouble calling 'Dad'.

For you see it takes more than paternity to make a real father, a real Dad. And this case it takes real forgiveness before the 60 something Julius Erving could even begin to be a Dad to Alexandra Stevenson. Read the story and see what you think.

ESPN Reunion Between Dr. J and Daughter Alexandra Stevenson

ESPN’s award-winning multimedia enterprise journalism series Outside the Lines today debuted the first ever interview about the recent reunion between basketball great Julius Erving and his 27-year-old daughter, pro tennis player Alexandra Stevenson. ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com senior writer Tom Friend sat down with the pair for their first extensive interviews on the subject. The Outside The Lines feature story, including original video, is available exclusively on ESPN.com at: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=drjandalexandra.

Additionally, on Sunday, December 21 at 9 a.m. ET Outside The Lines (re-air at 12 noon on ESPNEWS) will feature the first on-air interview, with a detailed account of their estranged relationship through the years, how they came to the moment of their reunion (which occurred less than two months ago) and why it was important for both of them to reunite now.

In 1999, while becoming the first women's qualifier to ever reach the Wimbledon semifinals, Stevenson was revealed to be Erving's out of wedlock daughter with sportswriter Samantha Stevenson. Erving denied being her parent at first, and, even when he came clean two days later, they never tried contacting each other.

The estrangement lasted nine years until Stevenson -- ravaged by injuries, strapped financially and trying to make a comeback -- reached out to Erving in October, hoping he could help her find sponsors. Erving returned her call, referred to himself as "dad,'' promised to help and arranged their initial meeting, on Halloween Day.

The reunion has already lifted Stevenson's spirits. After undergoing surgery in 2004 for a torn labrum, she is now ranked 212th in the world and considers herself fully healthy. She will compete in this January's Australian Open qualifying tournament -- and Erving is already in contact with potential sponsors. He plans to come see her play at the 2009 Wimbledon -- 10 years after the scandal began.