Earl "The Pearl" Monroe was one of the most exciting and innovative players to ever grace an NBA court. He posted a career average of 18.8 points per game across 13 seasons with the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) and the New York Knicks. Monroe's successful collegiate stint at Winston-Salem State University put him on the map. In his four years at WSSU, he averaged 26.7 points and amassed 2,395 total points. Monroe's "Earl The Pearl" nickname was born during this period, as fans would chant it during games due to a Winston-Salem Journal sports writer calling Monroe's points "Earl's Pearls." Career He stormed out of the gate as a rookie, averaging 24.3 ppg en route to Rookie of the Year honors. In the 1967-68 season, Monroe recorded the third-highest rookie scoring performance in a game with 56 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 13, 1968. Monroe went on to have several successful seasons with the Bullets, including a 1971 Finals berth. During the 1971 playoffs, he averaged 22.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 4.1 apg, but struggled in The Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Monroe posted just 16.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 4.0 apg and shot 37.1% as Baltimore was swept in the series. Monroe requested a trade from the Bullets after the 1971-72 season, and only played three games with Baltimore before being traded to the Knicks on Nov. 10, 1971 for Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and cash. The All-Star backcourt of Monroe and fellow future Hall of Famer Walt Frazier propelled the Knicks to back-to-back Finals appearances in 1972 and '73. Monroe finally realized his championship dream in 1973, posting 16.0 ppg in The Finals as New York ousted the Lakers in five games. From 1973-74 to 1978-79, Monroe averaged 17 ppg or more in five of those six seasons before retiring after the 1979-80 season. In total, Monroe scored 17,454 points and racked up 3,594 assists in his NBA career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.