DETROIT – Detroit native and former NBA veteran Earl Cureton was honored with a street sign on the city’s west side.
Cureton, who played for 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association, was honored with the street sign at the intersection of Stearns Street and Livernois on Tuesday (Feb. 4).
Nicknamed “The Twirl,” Cureton played college basketball for the Robert Morris Colonials and the University of Detroit Mercy Titans before being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the third round of the 1979 NBA draft.
With the 76ers, the Detroit native won the 1982-1983 NBA title alongside legends Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Finals MVP Moses Malone.
Cureton brought his championship experience back to the city as he joined the Detroit Pistons from 1983-1986.
Before bouncing around the league with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls (1986-1987), the Los Angeles Clippers (1986-1988), and the Charlotte Hornets (1988-1991) before winning his second NBA championship during the 1993-1994 season alongside Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.
He finished his career with the Toronto Raptors from 1996 to 1997 before becoming a staple in the Detroit community.
His No. 24 jersey was retired for U of D Mercy, but in the 2000s, he became a coach in the ABA and WNBA.
Cureton released his autobiography, Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball, in 2023 and was later inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in his hometown of Detroit.
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame also named him the 2024 Michigan Treasure before his sudden death on Feb. 4, 2024, at the age of 66.
