“Earl Cureton Rest in Peace”: Charles Barkley Pays Emotional Tribute to 2x NBA Champion

“We feel like we’ve been robbed”. These were the first words from the Detroit Pistons’ announcer after veteran Earl Cureton suddenly collapsed at his house last Sunday morning. The NBA world has been devastated by this sudden demise and now Charles Barkley has used ‘The Steam Room’ podcast as a platform to share a few deep emotional words. The 1993 MVP reminisced about their time with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Charles Barkley said on the pod, “I’m gonna start with sadness, unfortunately…Once a former teammate, Earl Cureton, passed away. A really good player, but a really great guy…Earl was just a good dude, just fun to be around and man I’m going to miss Earl…Anytime we lose somebody in the NBA family, it is a big deal. So Earl Cureton, rest in peace man, it was a pleasure to know you”. Barkley has never missed a chance to give a fitting tribute to the deceased.

Before Cureton went on to become a star for the Detroit Pistons, he spent three years with the Sixers franchise, where he seemingly came across Barkley. However, they never ended up sharing the court. Earl ‘The Curl’ Cureton, a 2x champion, his first title came very early in 1983. He averaged 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds and played and it was a pivotal role in the Sixers lifting the championship.

He did this alongside Julius Erving aka Dr. J, and Moses Malone. It was a star-studded crew, but Barkley was not drafted back then. The 1993 MVP was drafted in 1984 and by the time Cureton had left for the Detroit Pistons. It could have been a dream come true for the Sixers legend, but sadly, he was still in college back then. Both their careers started with the same franchise and later they battled each other for ten straight years in the NBA.

Magic Johnson recalls Michigan days to pay tribute to Earl Cureton

Johnson had expressed his sorrow through a tweet, 5 days back. The Lakers legend wrote, “Rest in peace to a fellow Michigan native and my good friend, Earl Cureton. Earl played on seven NBA teams throughout his career and I had the pleasure of playing against him at the collegiate and pro level. I finally got the chance to play alongside him on the Magic Johnson All-Star team,”

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Like Barkley, Johnson also shared a few lovable traits of Cureton. Johnson said, “He had a big heart, was funny, and truly was a pleasure to be around!” Apart from these two legends, the Pistons, the Chicago Bulls, and the Charlotte Hornets also remembered ‘The Twirl’, for his contribution to them.

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Read more: Who Was Earl Cureton, Member of the Inaugural Hornets Team? Exploring His Legacy and NBA Career