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Earl Cureton, a former Detroit high school basketball player and University of Detroit standout, as well as a center for the Detroit Pistons and the team’s community ambassador, died suddenly Sunday morning. He was 66 years old.
Cureton, nicknamed “The Twirl,” starred in Detroit Finney before beginning his college career at Robert Morris in 1976. He only stayed at the school for one season before returning home. He helped the Titans, before they became Detroit Mercy, as a junior in the 1979 NCAA tournament, and the following season he averaged the best average on the team. 20 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1979 in the third round, and joined the team a year later, where he played for three seasons before signing with the Pistons for the 1983-84 season. His professional career lasted 17 seasons, with multiple stops abroad before retiring at age 39, following the 1996-97 season with the Toronto Raptors.
Cureton played in 674 NBA gamesHe averaged 5.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 12 seasons, and won championships as a reserve with the Sixers (1983) and Houston Rockets (1994).
Cureton had been a Pistons ambassador since 2013 and a Titans television analyst for more than a decade. The cause of his death is unknown.
“We feel like we’ve been robbed,” longtime Pistons television announcer George Blaha said on Bally Sports Detroit’s postgame telecast Sunday after the Pistons lost to the Orlando Magic. “Spending time with Earl was the best thing ever.”
Cureton filled in on Pistons radio Friday for an ill Rick Mahorn, and was supposed to fill in again Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, according to Greg Kelser, a longtime friend of Blaha and Cureton and a Pistons color analyst.
“The Detroit Pistons organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Earl Cureton, a person who meant a lot to the organization as a colleague, former player, community ambassador and friend,” the team said in a statement. release. “As tough a competitor he was during his playing years on the court, he was equally kind, outgoing and impactful off it. He represented our franchise with great passion and truly enjoyed working to give back and improve the lives of locals. of Detroit in “The City I Loved So Much. “We extend our deepest condolences to Earl’s family and countless friends and teammates during this very difficult time.”
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“We are all hurting,” former Pistons teammate Isiah Thomas said in a statement. “He was a tremendous teammate, a tough competitor, a champion and a great human being. Earl always held the Detroit community close to his heart and worked tirelessly to make a difference in the city he loved. He We will miss him very much.”
Cureton’s number 24 jersey was retired by Detroit Mercy in 2020, after fulfilling a promise to his mother by completing his career there in 2011.
His new book, “Earl the Twirl: My Life in Basketball,” was published in december.
