He’s still shining.
Hundreds of people celebrated former Boys & Girls basketball star Dwayne “Pearl” Washington at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York on April 29. The Brooklyn-born baller, Syracuse University alum, and three-year National Basketball Association player died on April 9 at the age of 52 after losing a long battle with brain cancer.
Many knew the point guard for his ostentatious on-court personality, but friends said his public persona was only one of the man’s facets.
“He was flamboyant and flashy on the court, but he was quiet, modest and humble off the floor,” said St. John’s coach Chris Mullin, who knew Washington since the eighth-grade and was his Big East rival in the mid-‘80s. “Being a great basketball player is only part of who you are.”
The Brownsville native’s accomplishments on the court are well documented — the half-court shot at the buzzer to beat Boston College,
the Big East Rookie of the Year award, the signature crossover, and the shake-and-bake move that usually led to a basket and a wide smile. But more than a strong player, Washington was an entertainer, his son said.
“When you paid to see my dad Pearl, he gave you a show — a show that was worth way more then what you paid,” said Dwayne Washington Jr. said. “When the ball was in The Pearl’s hands, coaches became fans.”
During the wake, his casket sat in front of a large stage, surrounded by floral arrangements (many orange and white for his alma mater), photos from his playing days, and his framed Boy & Girls jersey. But mourners reflected on Washington the person — the man who, for instance, gave up his spot in the prestigious Five-Star Camp All-Star game so Kangaroos teammate Elmer Anderson could play.
“I’ll never forget how it felt playing on that court, coming into my own,” Anderson said of the game. “But I’m there, because the No.-1 player in America provided a selfless act for his teammate.”
Washington, who was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 1995 and who relapsed in 2015, was a giver. He refused to start until late into his sophomore year of high school – despite earning the right – because he did not want to disrupt team chemistry.
“That was the type of player Dwayne was, thinking about team,” former high-school coach Paul Brown said.
The Kangaroos went 24–2 that year, but lost in the semifinals.
Washington never asked for much — except once, Orange coach Jim Boeheim said. Boeheim had drawn up a play to go away from Washington late in a tie game against Georgetown. Boeheim saw from the look on his star’s face that his plan wasn’t going to fly. He wisely changed his mind.
“I called everybody back and said ‘Listen, give Pearl the ball and get our of the way,’ ” Boeheim said. “He just smiled.”
Washington took the ball. He scored. Syracuse won.
Other basketball bigs in attendance included former Archbishop Molloy and Houston Rockets guard Kenny Smith, and Villanova great Ed Pinckney, as well as Syracuse stars Dave Bing, John Wallace, Wendell Alexis, and Derek Coleman.
The turnout was proof that members of the basketball community treasured the man they dubbed “Pearl.”
“My dad is truly a gem,” Washington Jr. said. “That is why everybody called him ‘The Pearl.’ ”
