Earl Cureton (September 3, 1957 – February 4, 2024) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). Nicknamed "the Twirl", he played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Robert Morris Colonials The Robert Morris Colonials are the athletic teams for Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Colonials compete in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision, FCS, formerly Division I-AA, in ...

and Detroit Mercy Titans. Cureton was selected by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

in the third round of the 1979 NBA draft. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

with the 76ers and the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

, and also played in the NBA for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, and

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. He also played in multiple countries overseas.

Early life

Cureton was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

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

College career

Cureton played two seasons at Robert Morris College. After his first year, they transitioned from being a

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

, and he played in the Colonials' first season in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

in 1976–77, 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 The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Cath ...

under coach

Dick Vitale Richard "Dick" John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadc ...

. Cureton was required by NCAA rules to sit out a year due to the transfer, when Vitale left for the

and was replaced by Smokey Gaines. Cureton paired with future NBA player Terry Duerod to lead the

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( ; ) were the pre-Twelve Olympians, Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). The six male ...

to the 1979 NCAA tournament, losing to Lamar 95–87 in the first round. Detroit finished ranked No. 20 on the season. Cureton had a stellar

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

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. They

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

his No. 24 in 2020.

Professional career

The

selected Cureton in the third round of the 1979 NBA draft with the 58th overall pick, when he was still a junior in college. He stayed with Detroit another year before signing with the 76ers in 1980. Philadelphia reached the

1982 NBA Finals The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1981–82 season, the top level of competition in men's professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Western Con ...

, but lost to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Led by their newly acquired center

Moses Malone Moses Eugene Malone Sr. (March 23, 1955 – September 13, 2015) was an American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1974 through 1995. A ...

, 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 In basketball, a hook shot is a play where the offensive player, usually turned perpendicular to the basket, gently throws the ball using a sweeping motion of the arm farther from the basket in an upward arc with a follow-through which ends over ...

over the Lakers'

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

, who had made the shot famous, and Philadelphia increased their lead while Cureton was in the game. He played 17 minutes in a 103–93 win, and the 76ers eventually swept the series. After three seasons with Philadelphia, Cureton failed to agree to a contract with the team. He briefly played in Italy for Scavolini Pesaro and Simac Milano before signing with the Detroit Pistons for the 1983–84 season, and spent three seasons with the Pistons. He became a journeyman for the rest of his career, traded to the

in 1987, and then playing for the

(1987–88) and

(1988–89, 1990–91), with another stint in between in Italy with Philips Milano (1989–90). He also played for the New Haven Skyhawks of the United States Basketball League in 1991, hoping to return to the NBA. From 1991 to 1993, Cureton played in the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

( Tours B.C.) in France, the Venezuelan SuperLiga, and the

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...

in Mexico. After not receiving any offers from the NBA or Europe, he joined

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

and his traveling all-star team. They stopped touring in March 1994, and Cureton joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. Following eight games with the Skyforce, he signed with the

near the end of their 1993–94 season, 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 Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

and Otis Thorpe. The Rockets defeated the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

to win the

1994 NBA Finals The 1994 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1993–94 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Houston Rockets played the Eastern Conference cham ...

, when Herrera returned and reassumed his role. Houston planned to invite Cureton to their 1994–95 training camp, but he blew out the

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

of his right knee and was troubled by some nerve damage. In 1996, Cureton played six months with a

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

team in Argentina's

Liga Nacional de Básquet Liga (Spanish and Portuguese: ''League'') or LIGA may refer to: Sports Basketball * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, women's professional basketball league in Spain Football Latin Amer ...

. At age 39, he finished his career with the

(1996–97), retiring from playing on February 13, 1997, to become the Raptors' assistant strength and conditioning coach. 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. He played in 54 playoff games across seven postseasons, starting in four contests.

Coaching career

Cureton made his coaching debut in the 2000–01 ABA season as an assistant with the

Los Angeles Stars LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

. He then served as an assistant with the Southern California Surf in the 2001–02 ABA season. 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. For the 2004–05 ABA season, Cureton joined the

Orange County Crush Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice * Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the ...

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. Cureton served as an assistant coach of the Charlotte Sting in the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

(WNBA) in the

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and 2006 WNBA seasons. He returned to the WNBA as an assistant with the

Phoenix Mercury The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Mercury compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. One of eight original franchises, it wa ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Post-playing career

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 on

ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...

and radio broadcasts, and was also a broadcaster for the Detroit Pistons. In 2013, Cureton began serving as a Community Ambassador for the Pistons. This role included leading Pistons organizational outreach and community partnerships. He released his autobiography, ''Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball'', in 2023, and was also inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in Detroit that year. Cureton was named the 2024 Michigan Treasure by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Cureton died "suddenly" on February 4, 2024, at the age of 66. He called his last game for the Titans the day before his death.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 52 , , 6 , , 10.2 , , .454 , , .000 , , .516 , , 3.0 , , .5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 66 , , 8 , , 14.5 , , .487 , , .000 , , .543 , , 4.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , .4 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" , † , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 3 , , 13.5 , , .419 , , – , , .493 , , 3.7 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 3.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 73 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .458 , , .000 , , .525 , , 3.9 , , .5 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.6 , - , align="left", , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 1 , , 20.3 , , .484 , , .000 , , .569 , , 5.2 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .5 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 19 , , 25.2 , , .505 , , .000 , , .555 , , 6.3 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .7 , , 8.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 43 , , 36 , , 25.7 , , .467 , , .000 , , .534 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 35 , , 11 , , 24.8 , , .487 , , .000 , , .544 , , 6.4 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .9 , , 7.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 69 , , 11 , , 16.3 , , .429 , , .000 , , .524 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 41 , , 25.0 , , .501 , , .000 , , .537 , , 6.0 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .7 , , 6.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 9 , , 1 , , 17.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .333 , , 4.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .250 , , – , , .000 , , 6.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 5.1 , , .375 , , – , , .333 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , .8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 674 , , 137 , , 18.4 , , .473 , , .000 , , .538 , , 4.7 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 5.4

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , , , 4.0 , , .333 , , – , , .000 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, align="left" ,

, 12 , , , , 6.3 , , .317 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" ,

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

† , align="left" ,

, 5 , , , , 5.0 , , .250 , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .4 , , .0 , , .4 , - , align="left" ,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , , , 18.6 , , .484 , , – , , .333 , , 6.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.4 , - , align="left" ,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .471 , , .000 , , .556 , , 4.6 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 4.1 , - , align="left" , 1986 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 31.5 , , .548 , , .000 , , .250 , , 7.5 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .0 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

† , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , .800 , , – , , 1.000 , , 2.9 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 54 , , 4 , , 10.9 , , .450 , , .000 , , .472 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.1

Publications

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cureton, Earl 1957 births 2024 deaths 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Detroit Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls players Continental Basketball Association coaches Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball players Detroit Pistons players Houston Rockets players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Los Angeles Clippers players Olimpia Milano players Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball players Toronto Raptors players