The Detroit Pistons lost one of their own Sunday. Former Pistons champion Earl Cureton passed away.
The Detroit Pistons are mourning the loss of one of their own. Two-time Pistons champion Earl Cureton passed away on Sunday. He was 66.
“Earl was one of the most generous, positive and caring people I know,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement, per The Detroit News. “He was a loving father, and I was honored to be his friend.”
The Pistons released a tribute to Cureton on social media, during the team’s game against the Orlando Magic Sunday. Cureton played for the Pistons from 1983-86 and was a member of the teams that won NBA championships in 1983 and 1984.
“All of us are hurting with the unexpected loss of Earl Cureton,” former Pistons guard Isiah Thomas said, per Pistons’ social media.
Cureton had a lengthy NBA career, and also played for the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Hornets. He scored 3,620 points in the league before retiring in 1997.
Before his time in the NBA, Cureton grew up in Detroit. He played college basketball for Detroit Mercy, leading the team to the NCAA tournament in 1979. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the third round of the 1979 draft. The cause of Cureton’s death wasn’t known at the time of writing Sunday. Pistons fans everywhere are surely sending their condolences to Cureton’s family at this difficult time.
Detroit lost to the Magic on Sunday, 111-99. The team is mired in a deeply frustrating 6-43 season, that saw the franchise lose 28 games in a row at one point.
Source link