Vernon Earl Monroe is a former NBA basketball player whose nicknames include; Conde la Perla, Black Magic and Black Jesus. Selected in the first round of the 1967 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards), Earl Monroe was well known for his style of play and passing and his extravagant fluid dribbling.

Earl Monroe was awarded Rookie of the Year due to his scoring average of 24 points in a game and then scored 56 points in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He also set a record by scoring 13 points in an overtime win against the Detroit Pistons. In 2007, the Washington Wizards retired the number 10 jersey from him.

In 1971, Monroe was traded to the New York Knicks, leading them to the 1973 NBA Championship. Monroe retired in the 1980 season due to serious knee injuries. A four-time NBA All-Star he had played in 926 career NBA games and had an outstanding total of 17,454 points scored. The New York Knicks retired Monroe’s number 15 jersey. He transformed the game of basketball into an art form. His style and his unique plays on the court paved the way for how today’s players play. Today’s players should salute Earl the Pearl by bringing excitement and skill to the game of basketball. Players like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James show off skills they learned from Earl.

Earl the Pearl’s racing championships include; named one of 50 players on the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and was elected commissioner of the United States Basketball League in 1985.