DETROIT (WWJ) — Earl “The Twirl” Cureton was “universally and unanimously beloved” within the Detroit basketball community. Ask anyone who knew him.
Cureton, a Detroit native through and through, played in the city at every level of the game — St. Cecilia's Gym, the Finney High School Highlanders, Detroit Mercy Titans and the Detroit Pistons — and continued to give back to his teams and community long after his playing days.
The 12-year NBA veteran and longtime ambassador for the franchise died suddenly of an undisclosed cause over the weekend, days after being on broadcasts for both the Pistons and Titans. On a new Daily J podcast, WWJ’s Zach Clark reflects on the legendary Detroiter’s life and career.
WWJ sports anchor Chris Fillar refers to Cureton as “Mr. Detroit Basketball.”
“In terms of somebody who actually cared about the sport and cared about Detroit as much as he did, to combine those things, I think that was just his life’s mission,” Fillar said.
Cureton’s No. 24 was retired by Detroit Mercy in 2020. Cureton initially played his college hoops at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania, but returned home to play for the Titans under coach Dick Vitale, who would go on to coach the Pistons.
On Saturday Cureton’s last act for the city, sport and team he loved was serving as color analyst for Detroit’s game at Calihan Hall against Robert Morris. His play-by-play partner for that game, Dan Hasty, reflected on Cureton’s love for the game and the city.
“As far as it was concerned with basketball in Detroit, you couldn’t find anybody who A) didn’t know Earl Cureton and B) had a bad thing to say about him. He was universally and unanimously beloved,” Hasty said.
Whether it be charity events with the Pistons or day-to-day operations with the radio and TV crews, Fillar says "if it had something to do with hoops in Detroit or Metro Detroit, Earl was probably trying to find a way to make it better and become a part of it."
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