Sat 1 Dec 2007
Wizards Retire Monroe’s #10 Jersey
Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main
Depending on your sense of NBA history knowledge, one could say that Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was a New York Knick. Then there are those who claim him to be a Baltimore Bullet. Regardless of which train of thought you subscribe to, Monroe’s jersey was retired by the Washington Wizards at halftime of Saturday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Monroe’s jersey was only the fourth retired by Washington - the other 3 being Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes and Gus Johnson. Monroe was traded by the Bullets to the Knicks in 1971 and won a NBA championship with New York, yet chose to go into the NBA Hall of Fame as a Washington Bullet.His numbers were quite impressive; with Washington and New York, he accumulated the following numbers: 926 games, .464 FG%, .807 FT%, 2,796 rebounds, 3,594 assists, 473 steals, 121 blocks and 17,454 points. He was also selected to the NBA’s 50th anniversary all-time team in 1996. Another interesting factoid about Monroe - he is one the very few NBA players who have a jersey retired by 2 teams, Washington and New York.
