Earl Vernon Monroe could orchestrate a dazzling show on the basketball court. You'll find few basketball fans anywhere who don't fondly recall Monroe's twisting, spinning, faking, double-pumping, spin-dribbling moves as a member of the Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks. Known for his flamboyant style, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe ignited both his teammates and fans wherever he played and whenever he stepped onto the court. His high school teammates at John Bartram High School called him "Thomas Edison" because of the many moves he invented while playing hour upon hour on the rough-and-tumble Philadelphia playgrounds.
Under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines at Winston Salem College, Monroe's collegiate career was a case study in improvement. He averaged 7.1 points his freshman year, 23.2 points as a sophomore, 29.8 points as a junior and 41.5 points his senior year. During his spectacular 1967 senior season, Monroe set the small college record for total points in one year (1,329), earned NCAA College Division Player of the Year honors and led the Rams to the NCAA College Division Championship.
In 1967, the two-time All-America was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the first round of the NBA draft and made an immediate impact earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors. In Baltimore, Monroe teamed with Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, and led a Baltimore offense that featured one of the most spectacular fast breaks in the NBA. It was during "The Pearl's" Baltimore years that he became a cult hero. In 1971, Monroe was traded to the talent-laden Knicks. He and Hall of Famer Walt Frazier were a celebrity backcourt and the duo gradually meshed together to form a formidable tandem full of razzle dazzle and spectacular basketball. With Monroe, the Knicks won the 1973 NBA championship. A four-time NBA All-Star, Monroe retired after the 1980 season due to serious knee injuries. He had played 926 career games, scored 17,454 total points (18.8 ppg) and dished out 3,594 assists. Monroe, who transformed the game into an exhilarating art form, had his number 15 jersey retired by the Knicks on March 1, 1986.
