I’ve always been fascinated by NBA player Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. I don’t know when I first became familiar of him being a great player, first for the Baltimore Bullets, then the New York Knicks. But my first memory is the Denzel Washington monologue in He Got Game where he talks about how Earl was called “Jesus” on the playgrounds of Philadelphia because he was such a great player.
I wanted to know more about Monroe’s time in Baltimore. Being a native, I have always considered him one of the city’s greatest athletes and it disappoints me that his play in the city has been memoryholed, because it was so critical to the development of the NBA. And I wanted to know about the man too. What was his experience like in life?
I really enjoyed this one. Monroe is incredibly candid about life growing up in Philadelphia, his experiences with racism and how he handled them, and his development as a basketball player. Rather than lean into cliches or take shortcuts, he talks about struggles he had in high school and college, things he could have done differently. There were some fascinating stories sprinkled in.
And he doesn’t skimp on his time in Baltimore, for good and for ill. It was so cool to hear about him living in west Baltimore, next to some of the great Colts and Orioles, albeit laced with the disappointment of the community being segregated. He talked about how much he loved the city, playing in the arena, etc. Those don’t necessarily make the book better but again, I appreciate the candor of it. And he does the same for his time being integrated in the Knicks legendary Open Man philosophy and living in New York too.
I also liked how Monroe wasn’t a crank. He does acknowledge that a lot of modern day basketball moves came from him, while giving credit to the guys he picked them up from the Philly playgrounds. He’s not a Back In My Day guy, but he speaks with a confidence of a man who did a lot of amazing things on the court and is proud. I really enjoyed spending time with him.
This was cruising to a five-star read until the epilogue. Monroe ends his life narrative after the Knicks championship season then goes into his views on modern basketball. The views are fine…but I would’ve liked to have learned about his later career and after it. What was the organization like as the team declined? What was life like in New York City as things continued to change there? How did he grow as a father, as a Family Man? It felt like an abrupt end to a conversation.
Still if you’re curious about Earl or a hoops fan like me, definitely pick this up. It was a great read.