Earl Monroe

Black Jesus — the most creative one-on-one scorer of the 1960s and 1970s whose moves invented playground basketball.

Vernon Earl Monroe was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1944. Baltimore Bullets selected him second overall in the 1967 NBA Draft after attending Winston-Salem State. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1968. His 13-season career produced 18.8 points per game and four All-Star appearances. He was nicknamed Black Jesus in Baltimore for moves that seemed supernatural — spins, hesitations, double-pump finishes and improvisational scoring manoeuvres that had no textbook explanation. He was traded to the New York Knicks in 1971 — where many feared his one-on-one style would clash with Walt Frazier's team-oriented approach — but the partnership became one of basketball's most celebrated. He won the NBA championship with the Knicks in 1973. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990 and named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. His playing style — entirely unique, completely improvised, impossible to teach — influenced every creative ball-handler who followed. His Baltimore years in particular represent some of the most individually brilliant basketball of the late 1960s. He was the original playground legend elevated to professional superstardom.

Creative ball-handler with exceptional one-on-one skills and clutch scoring ability

Revolutionary guard who changed the game with his flashy style and clutch performances

• NBA Champion (1973)
• Rookie of the Year (1968)
• All-Star 4x
• Hall of Fame (1990)
• NBA 50th Anniversary Team