Dwayne Alonzo "Pearl" Washington (January 6, 1964 – April 20, 2016) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was a ,

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

Early life

Washington grew up in the Brownsville section of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

borough of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, where he acquired his nickname as an eight-year-old in a taunting comparison to Earl "the Pearl" Monroe. He was a playground phenomenon from

Boys and Girls High School Boys and Girls High School, the oldest public high school in Brooklyn, is a comprehensive high school in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, United States. The school is located at 1700 Fulton Street. As of the 2014–15 school year, the ...

in Brooklyn, and was rated as the number one overall high school player in the United States in 1983.

College career

Washington brought his flashy play to Syracuse University and the Carrier Dome. "The Pearl" was the master of the "shake and bake", in which he would leave his defensive opposition standing still while he drove by them for a layup.

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

point guard and NBA Hall of Famer

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, a ...

named Washington as the toughest player he ever had to guard.

Professional career

New Jersey Nets (1986-1988)

Washington was drafted by the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in the first round (13th pick) of the 1986 NBA draft. In two seasons with the Nets he averaged 9 points per game.

Miami Heat (1988-1989)

In 1988 the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

selected Washington in their

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansio ...

. He played 54 games for the Heat before being released.

Rapid City Thrillers and San Jose Jammers (1989-1991)

Following Washington's release from Miami, Washington played for the

Rapid City Thrillers The Rapid City Thrillers were a semi-professional basketball team in Rapid City, South Dakota, that competed in the Continental Basketball Association beginning in the 1987 season. They were reincarnated in 1998 as an International Basketball As ...

and San Jose Jammers in the Continental Basketball Association.

Personal life

Washington had surgery on August 27, 2015, at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse to address a malignant

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

. He died on April 20, 2016, at the age of 52.

References

External links

Syracuse Orange bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Dwayne 1964 births 2016 deaths African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Deaths from brain cancer in the United States McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat expansion draft picks Miami Heat players New Jersey Nets draft picks New Jersey Nets players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Brownsville, Brooklyn Point guards Rapid City Thrillers players San Jose Jammers players Sportspeople from Brooklyn Syracuse Orange men's basketball players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people