Earl Monroe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Earl Monroe

Monroe with Winston-Salem State in 1967
Personal information
Born	(1944-11-21) November 21, 1944 (age 80) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
High school	John Bartram (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
College	Winston-Salem State (1963–1967)
NBA Draft	1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets
Pro career	1967–1980
Career history
1967–1971	Baltimore Bullets
1971–1980	New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (1973) 4× NBA All-Star (1969, 1971, 1975, 1977) All-NBA First Team (1969) NBA Rookie of the Year (1968) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1968) NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th) No. 15 retired by New York Knicks No. 10 retired by Washington Wizards NCAA College Division champion (1967) NCAA College Division Tournament MVP (1967)
Career statistics
Points	17,454 (18.8 ppg)
Rebounds	2,796 (3.0 rpg)
Assists	3,594 (3.9 apg)

Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is a famous American basketball player. He played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Earl Monroe played for two teams: the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks. Both teams honored him by retiring his jersey number. Because of his amazing skills and exciting way of playing, people called him "Black Jesus" and "Earl the Pearl". He was so good that he was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1996, Monroe was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Later, in 2021, he was named one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

Earl Monroe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From a young age, he was known as a very talented player on the playgrounds. His teammates in high school at John Bartram High School even called him "Thomas Edison". This was because he invented so many new moves on the court.

When he was younger, Earl was more interested in soccer and baseball. But by age 14, he was 6 feet 3 inches tall. His interest in basketball grew, and he played center for most of his youth. Many of his special "shake-and-bake" moves came from playing on outdoor asphalt courts. Monroe said he had to create "flukey-duke shots." These were shots where he would hesitate in the air before shooting.

When he was a teenager, other players would tease him. His mother gave him a blue notebook. She told him to write down the names of those players. "As you get better than them," his mother said, "I want you to scratch those names out."

After high school, Monroe went to a college prep school. He also worked as a shipping clerk in a factory. He often played basketball at a recreation center in Philadelphia. The center's owner, Leon Whitley, encouraged Monroe to play for coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines at Winston-Salem Teacher College.

College Career at Winston-Salem State

Monroe became famous across the country at Winston-Salem State University. This was a Division II school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His coach was the legendary Hall of Famer Clarence Gaines.

In his first year, Monroe averaged 7.1 points per game. He once wanted to go back home to Philadelphia. But Coach Gaines called Monroe's mother, and after a serious talk, Monroe decided to stay.

He then averaged 23.2 points as a sophomore. As a junior, he averaged 29.8 points. In his senior year (1966–1967), he averaged an amazing 41.5 points. He scored 1,329 points that season.

During that 1966–1967 season, a sportswriter named Jerry McLeese started calling Monroe's points "Earl's pearls." Soon, fans began to cheer, "Earl, the Super Pearl!" That's how his famous nickname was born.

In 1967, Monroe was named NCAA College Division Player of the Year. He led his team, the Rams, to win the 1967 NCAA College Division Championship. They beat SW Missouri State 77–74 in the final game.

Overall, in his four years at Winston-Salem State University, Monroe averaged 26.7 points. He scored a total of 2,395 points in 110 games. He is still the top scorer in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball history.

After college, Monroe passed a national teaching exam. He tried out for the 1967 USA Basketball Team. This team would represent the country at the 1967 Pan-American Games. However, he was not chosen. Monroe said that the USA coaches thought his style of play was "too street, too playground, too black." He added that this experience "always left a very, very bad taste in my mouth."

NBA Career

Playing for the Baltimore Bullets (1967–1971)

In 1967, Earl Monroe was a two-time All-American player. He was chosen second overall in the 1967 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets. This team is now known as the Washington Wizards. He was drafted right after Jimmy Walker.

Monroe won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. He averaged 24.3 points per game. In one game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he scored 56 points. This was the third-highest score ever by an NBA rookie. It was also a team record for the Bullets at the time.

Monroe and his teammate, Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, quickly became a strong duo in Baltimore. Monroe became a fan favorite because of his fast breaks and amazing, circus-like shots. He once said, "The thing is, I don't know what I'm going to do with the ball, and if I don't know, I'm quite sure the guy guarding me doesn't know either."

In the 1968–1969 season, Monroe averaged 25.8 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds. The Bullets finished with a great record of 57 wins and 25 losses. They won the Eastern Division title. However, they lost to the New York Knicks 4–0 in the playoffs.

The Bullets finished 50–32 in 1969–1970. Monroe averaged 23.4 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. They were again beaten by the Knicks, this time 4–3, in the playoffs.

In the 1970–1971 season, the Bullets finished 42–40. Monroe averaged 21.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds. In the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Bullets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 4–3. Then, they defeated the Knicks 4–3 in the Eastern Conference Finals. This sent them to the 1971 NBA Finals.

In the 1971 NBA Finals, the Bullets played against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks had superstar players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. The Bucks won the series 4–0. Bullets Coach Gene Shue said of Monroe, "Put a basketball in his hands and he does wondrous things with it." He added, "He has the greatest combination of basketball ability and showmanship."

In 328 games with the Bullets, Monroe averaged 23.7 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds.

Joining the New York Knicks (1971–1980)

After the 1970–1971 season, Monroe wanted to be traded to another team. He had a disagreement about his salary with the Bullets. After playing only three games in the 1971–1972 season, he was traded to the New York Knicks on November 11, 1971.

When Monroe joined the Knicks, he teamed up with another flashy player, Walt Frazier. Together, they formed what was called the "Rolls-Royce backcourt." At first, people wondered if Monroe and Frazier could play well together. But they soon became one of the best guard duos ever.

In his first season with the Knicks (1971–1972), Monroe averaged 11.4 points. He struggled a bit to adjust to his new team. However, the Knicks made it to the 1972 NBA Finals. They beat the Bullets 4–2 and the Boston Celtics 4–1. In the Finals, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4–1.

In the 1972–1973 season, Frazier and Monroe led the Knicks to the 1973 NBA Championship. Their team also included Hall of Fame players like Bill Bradley, Jerry Lucas, and Willis Reed. They had a great regular season, winning 57 games and losing 25. Monroe averaged 15.5 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.6 rebounds.

The Knicks then defeated the Bullets 4–1 and the Celtics 4–3 in the playoffs. They had a rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. The Knicks won the championship, four games to one. Monroe averaged 16.0 points and 4.2 assists in the Finals.

In the next four seasons, Monroe continued to play well. He averaged over 17 points per game each year. However, injuries started to limit his playing time in his last two seasons.

The Monroe-Frazier duo is famous for having two Hall of Famers in the backcourt. Monroe was a four-time NBA All-Star. He retired after the 1980 season because of serious knee injuries. In nine seasons and 592 games with the Knicks, Monroe averaged 16.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds.

Overall, Earl Monroe played in 926 regular season NBA games. He scored 17,454 total points and had 3,594 assists. He averaged 18.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in his career. He scored over 1,000 points in nine of his thirteen professional seasons. His career-high was 2,065 points (25.8 points per game) in the 1968–69 season.

In 2021, to celebrate the NBA's 75th Anniversary, The Athletic ranked the top 75 players of all time. They named Monroe as the 58th greatest player in NBA history.

Monroe's playing style was unique, smooth, and flowing. He once said, "You know, I watch the games and even now I never see anyone who reminds me of me, the way I played." Bill Bradley once called Monroe "the ultimate playground player."

Monroe hopes people remember him as a player who could "excite the fans and excite himself."

Personal Life and Activities

Monroe at a book signing in 2013

• Earl Monroe has a son named Rodney and a daughter named Maya. Maya has coached basketball in high school and college.
• In 1985, Monroe was named commissioner of the United States Basketball League.
• In 2012, Monroe started a candy company called NBA Candy Store.
• He has worked as a commentator for Madison Square Garden. He also served as commissioner of the New Jersey Urban Development Corporation.
• Monroe is active in many community programs. These include the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Health. He has received many awards for his community work.
• He was a spokesman for the American Heart Association with his former Knicks teammate Walt "Clyde" Frazier.
• Monroe, his brother, and his sister have all been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He is a spokesman for a website that promotes healthy eating for people with diabetes.
• Monroe owns his own record label, Reverse Spin Records, in New York.
• In the Spike Lee film He Got Game, a character explains that his son's name, Jesus, was inspired by Monroe's nickname.
• From 1980 to 1981, Monroe had a shoe deal with Jordache. They made basketball sneakers with his nickname "Pearl" on them.

Honors and Achievements

• In 1977, Monroe was inducted into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
• The New York Knicks retired his number 15 jersey on March 1, 1986.
• In 1990, he was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Monroe was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
• In 2006, Monroe was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
• The Washington Wizards retired his number 10 jersey on December 1, 2007.
• In 2005, a basketball team called the Baltimore Pearls was named in his honor.
• Winston-Salem State retired his number 10 jersey in 2017.
• In 2021, Monroe was chosen for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Earl Monroe para niños