Sports
Earl Cureton
1957–2024 · basketball forward and center
Detroit native who played for the University of Detroit and his hometown Pistons and won NBA titles with Philadelphia and Houston.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 66- Also known as
- The Twirl
- Detroit years
- 1957–1980, 1983–1986, later years–2024
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Cureton grew up on Detroit's east side in the 1960s and played high school basketball at Finney High School. After starting college at Robert Morris, he came home to the University of Detroit, drawn by coach Dick Vitale, though Vitale left for the Pistons before Cureton could play for him. As a senior in 1979–1980 he averaged nearly 20 points and 9 rebounds for the Titans and was later inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame. A lanky, energetic big man nicknamed "the Twirl", he won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 and then played three seasons for his hometown Pistons. He later won a second title with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and played in several countries abroad. Cureton returned to Detroit, where he worked with the Pistons in community relations, and he died in the city in 2024.
Highlights
- Played at Detroit's Finney High School and the University of Detroit
- NBA champion with Philadelphia (1983) and Houston (1994)
- Played for the Pistons 1983–1986
- Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame, 2007
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · early 1970s
Finney High School
Closed
His east-side Detroit high school; the Detroit Public Schools building is no longer in use.
Played here · 1978–1980
Calihan Hall, University of Detroit Mercy
Home court of the Titans during his college years.