With awe-inspiring and flamboyant on-court moves, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe brought a distinctive style to the NBA during his 13-year career that changed the way NBA basketball was played. His flair and showmanship on the court will forever be remembered for infusing basketball with art and finesse.
A four-time NBA All-Star, Monroe has been named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players of All Time. He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Monroe began his NBA career in 1967 when he was the No. 2 choice in the draft and was picked by the Baltimore Bullets. He was a central figure in the historic series of Bullets-Knicks playoffs, a long-running saga in which the two clubs faced each other over six consecutive years. Monroe's duels with Knicks guard Walt "Clyde" Frazier created dream match-ups.
Monroe was traded to the Knicks in 1971, where his dazzling drives quickly made him a crowd favorite. When the Knicks won the NBA championship in 1973, Monroe scored 23 points in the deciding game. He retired in 1980, after scoring 17,454 points in 926 games.
Now 61 years old, Monroe lives in New York. His most recent venture is a new restaurant and jazz club located in Harlem, The Pearl, which is opened in October 2005. Monroe has also been nominated to be inducted in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
Monroe was born in Philadelphia where he attended Bartram High School. He attended Winston-Salem State University where as a senior, he led his team to an NCAA Division II title while averaging 41.5 points.
