Earl Cureton

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Earl Cureton
Cureton (left) coaching a 2002 Summer League game
Personal information
Born(1957-09-03)September 3, 1957
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 2024(2024-02-04) (aged 66)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolFinney (Detroit, Michigan)
College
NBA draft1979: 3rd round, 58th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1980–1997
PositionPower forward / center
Number25, 23, 35
Coaching career2000–2013
Career history
As player:
1980–1983Philadelphia 76ers
1983Scavolini Pesaro
1983Simac Milano
1983–1986Detroit Pistons
1986–1987Chicago Bulls
1987–1988Los Angeles Clippers
1988–1989Charlotte Hornets
1989–1990Philips Milano
1991Charlotte Hornets
1991New Haven Skyhawks
1991–1992Tours B.C.
1994Sioux Falls Skyforce
1994Houston Rockets
1996–1997Toronto Raptors
As coach:
2000–2001Los Angeles Stars (assistant)
2001–2002Southern California Surf (assistant)
2003Long Beach Jam (assistant)
2003–2004Long Beach Jam
2004–2005Orange County Crush
2005–2006Charlotte Sting (assistant)
2012–2013Phoenix Mercury (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

  • ABA champion (2004)
  • ABA Coach of the Year (2004)
Career NBA statistics
Points3,620 (5.4 ppg)
Rebounds3,172 (4.7 rpg)
Assists678 (1.0 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Earl Cureton (September 3, 1957 – February 4, 2024) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Twirl",[1] he played college basketball for the Robert Morris Colonials and Detroit Mercy Titans. Cureton was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the third round of the 1979 NBA Draft. He won an NBA championship with the 76ers and the Houston Rockets, and also played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors. He also played in multiple countries overseas.

Early life[edit]

Cureton was born in Detroit on September 3, 1957,[2][3] and grew up in the 1960s in the midst of the city's race riots. He played high school basketball at Finney High School.[2]

College career[edit]

Cureton played two seasons at Robert Morris College.[4] After his first year, they transitioned from being a junior college, and he played in the Colonials' first season in NCAA Division I in 1976–77,[2][4] averaging a double-double of 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, before electing to return home to play at the University of Detroit Mercy under coach Dick Vitale.[1][2][5] Cureton was required by NCAA rules to sit out a year due to the transfer, when Vitale left for the Detroit Pistons and was replaced by Smokey Gaines.[2]

Cureton paired with future NBA player Terry Duerod to lead the Titans to the 1979 NCAA tournament,[1][6] losing to Lamar 95–87 in the first round.[7] Detroit finished ranked No. 20 on the season.[8] Cureton had a stellar senior season in 1979–80, averaging 19.9 points and 9.1 rebounds, and was inducted into the Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame in 2007.[3][6] They retired his No. 24 in 2020.[2]

Professional career[edit]

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Cureton in the third round of the 1979 NBA draft with the 58th overall pick,[2][9] when he was still a junior in college.[10] He stayed with Detroit another year before signing with the 76ers in 1980.[10] Philadelphia reached the 1982 NBA Finals, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Led by their newly acquired center Moses Malone, the 76ers won the 1983 finals in a rematch with the Lakers. In game 2 with the 76ers up 1–0 in the series, Cureton filled in for Malone, who was in foul trouble. Cureton made a hook shot over the Lakers' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had made the shot famous, and Philadephia increased their lead while Cureton was in the game.[11] He played 17 minutes in a 103–93 win,[12] and the 76ers eventually swept the series.[11]

After three seasons with Philadelphia, Cureton failed to agree to a contract with the team.[13] He briefly played in Italy for Scavolini Pesaro and Simac Milano before signing with the Detroit Pistons for the 1983–84 season,[10][13] and spent three seasons with the Pistons. He became a journeyman for the rest of his career, traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1987, and then playing for the Los Angeles Clippers (1987–88) and Charlotte Hornets (1988–89, 1990–91),[3] with another stint in between in Italy with Philips Milano (1989–90).[14] He also played for the New Haven Skyhawks of the United States Basketball League in 1991, hoping to return to the NBA.[15]

From 1991 to 1993, Cureton played in the LNB Pro A (Tours B.C.) in France,[16][17] the Venezuelan SuperLiga, and the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional in Mexico.[16] After not receiving any offers from the NBA or Europe, he joined Magic Johnson and his traveling all-star team. They stopped touring in March 1994, and Cureton joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the Continental Basketball Association.[18] Following eight games with the Skyforce,[18] he signed with the Houston Rockets near the end of their 1993–94 season,[11][16] in time to qualify for their postseason roster. In the playoffs, he filled in for injured forward Carl Herrera, becoming a key rotational player as a backup to Hakeem Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe. The Rockets defeated the New York Knicks to win the 1994 NBA Finals, when Herrera returned and reassumed his role.[11] Houston planned to invite Cureton to their 1994–95 training camp,[19] but he blew out the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and was troubled by some nerve damage.[20]

In 1996, Cureton played six months with a Buenos Aires team in Argentina's Liga Nacional de Básquet.[21] At age 39, he finished his career with the Toronto Raptors (1996–97),[3] retiring from playing on February 13, 1997, to become the Raptors' assistant strength and conditioning coach.[22] Cureton played 674 NBA regular games in his career, including 137 starts, averaging 5.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game.[3][11] He played in 54 playoff games across seven postseasons, starting in four contests.[9][11]

Coaching career[edit]

Cureton made his coaching debut in the 2000–01 ABA season as an assistant with the Los Angeles Stars. He then served as an assistant with the Southern California Surf in the 2001–02 ABA season.[23]

Cureton started the 2003–04 ABA season as an assistant coach for the Long Beach Jam. He was elevated to head coach in November 2003 and went on to guide the Jam to the ABA championship and was named the ABA Coach of the Year.[23]

For the 2004–05 ABA season, Cureton joined the Orange County Crush as head coach. He parted ways with the team in January 2005 and returned to the Long Beach Jam, where he served as chief of basketball operations for the rest of the season.[23]

Cureton served as an assistant coach of the Charlotte Sting in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the 2005 and 2006 WNBA seasons.[23] He returned to the WNBA as an assistant with the Phoenix Mercury in 2012 and 2013.[23]

Post-playing career[edit]

In 2011, Cureton fulfilled a promise to his mother, returning to finish his degree at UD. He served as a color analyst for Detroit Mercy Titans ESPN+ and radio broadcasts,[9] and was also a broadcaster for the Detroit Pistons.[1]

In 2013, Cureton began serving as a Community Ambassador for the Pistons.[24] This role included leading Pistons organizational outreach and community partnerships.[25][26] He released his autobiography, Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball, in 2023,[2] and was also inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in Detroit that year.[27]

Cureton died on February 4, 2024, at the age of 66.[2]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship  *  Led the league

NBA[edit]

Source[3]

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1980–81 Philadelphia 52 6 10.2 .454 .000 .516 3.0 .5 .4 .4 4.2
1981–82 Philadelphia 66 8 14.5 .487 .000 .543 4.1 .5 .5 .4 5.3
1982–83† Philadelphia 73 3 13.5 .419 – .493 3.7 .6 .5 .3 3.4
1983–84 Detroit 73 0 12.4 .458 .000 .525 3.9 .5 .3 .4 2.6
1984–85 Detroit 81 1 20.3 .484 .000 .569 5.2 1.0 .7 .5 6.1
1985–86 Detroit 80 19 25.2 .505 .000 .555 6.3 1.7 .7 .7 8.6
1986–87 Chicago 43 36 25.7 .467 .000 .534 5.3 1.6 .3 .6 6.9
1986–87 L.A. Clippers 35 11 24.8 .487 .000 .544 6.4 1.5 .5 .9 7.7
1987–88 L.A. Clippers 69 11 16.3 .429 .000 .524 3.9 .9 .5 .5 4.3
1988–89 Charlotte 82* 41 25.0 .501 .000 .537 6.0 1.6 .6 .7 6.5
1990–91 Charlotte 9 1 17.7 .333 .000 .333 4.0 .3 .0 .3 1.9
1993–94† Houston 2 0 15.0 .250 – .000 6.0 .0 .0 .0 2.0
1996–97 Toronto 9 0 5.1 .375 – .333 1.0 .4 .0 .0 .8
Career 674 137 18.4 .473 .000 .538 4.7 1.0 .5 .5 5.4

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1981 Philadelphia 9 4.0 .333 – .000 1.0 .2 .1 .2 1.3
1982 Philadelphia 12 6.3 .317 .000 .667 2.2 .2 .1 .1 2.7
1983† Philadelphia 5 5.0 .250 – – 1.0 .2 .4 .0 .4
1984 Detroit 5 18.6 .484 – .333 6.6 .4 .4 .2 6.4
1985 Detroit 9 0 14.8 .471 .000 .556 4.6 .4 1.0 .2 4.1
1986 Detroit 4 4 31.5 .548 .000 .250 7.5 2.3 .8 .0 9.0
1994† Houston 10 0 10.0 .800 – 1.000 2.9 .2 .1 .2 1.8
Career 54 4 10.9 .450 .000 .472 3.2 .4 .4 .1 3.1

Publications[edit]

  • Cureton, Earl; Uitti, Jake (2023). Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476693835.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Budner, Marty (February 3, 2017). "U-D to recognize '76–'77 Sweet 16 men's basketball team". Observer and Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Paul, Tony. "Ex-Piston Earl Cureton, former University of Detroit star, dies at 66". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Earl Cureton NBA Stats". Basketball-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "RMU Athletic Hall of Fame: Earl Cureton". Robert Morris University Athletics. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Paul, Tony (February 16, 2021). "State hoops: Earl Cureton, HOFer at UDM, Robert Morris, calls their games this weekend". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Earl Cureton (2007) – Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame". University of Detroit Mercy Athletics. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  7. ^ "1978–79 Detroit Titans Roster and Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "1978–79 Men's College Basketball Coaches Polls". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Earl Cureton – ESPN3/ESPN+ Analyst – Staff Directory". University of Detroit Mercy Athletics. Archived from the original on February 28, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Vincent, Charlie (November 13, 1983). "Pistons sign forward-center Cureton". Detroit Free Press. p. C1. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Uitti, Jacob (May 31, 2023). "'Always be in the ballgame': how bench players can tilt the NBA finals". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Hudrick, Paul and Levick, Noah (May 27, 2020). "Ranking the 10 most important members of the 1982-83 Sixers". NBC Sports Philadelpia. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Shirk, George (September 21, 1983). "Arrivederci, Earl". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F-1, 7-F. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Statistiche Earl Cureton". Legabasket.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Bernucca, Chris (July 21, 1991). "USBL Provides 'One Last Shot' For Many In Basketball". Statesville Record & Landmark. Associated Press. p. 8-B. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b c "A cure for boredom". Tampa Bay Times. June 13, 1994. p. 3C. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Three ex-Detroit Pistons players on French teams". The Herald-Palladium. Associated Press. November 29, 1991. p. 4B. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b Meinecke, Corky (June 9, 1994). "Cureton wanted Pistons, but Rocketed to Finals". Detroit Free Press. p. 7C. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Jasner, Phil (September 28, 1994). "Sixers eye center Bullard". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 71. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Waddell, Dave (January 6, 1997). "Revitalizing Raptors of dinosaur fossils?". The Windor Star. p. D1. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Perkins, Dave (December 19, 1996). "Voices of experience bend Raptors' ears". The Toronto Star. p. D6. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Ormsby, Mary (February 14, 1997). "Raptors give the Big 'O' another go-around". The Toronto Star. p. C5. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b c d e "Earl Cureton". usbasket.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  24. ^ "Pistons Legends". Detroit Pistons. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  25. ^ Stevenson-McGee, Patricia. "Vision To Learn Program Provides 1,000th Pair of Glasses to Detroit Students – Ronald Brown Academy". Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  26. ^ Farrell, Perry A. (April 26, 2017). "Pistons help build new basketball court near Corktown school". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  27. ^ Zimmer, Amy (July 3, 2023). "Savannah native Tyrone Brown inducted into American Basketball Hall of Fame". WJCL. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.

External links[edit]

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