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Former Sixer Earl Cureton dies at 66

The 6-foot-9 center and power forward won an NBA championship with the Sixers in 1983 and another with the Houston Rockets in 1994.

Former Sixers Bobby Jones (left) and Earl Cureton talk to members of the media on March, 20, 2023, during a reunion of the 1983 championship team.
Former Sixers Bobby Jones (left) and Earl Cureton talk to members of the media on March, 20, 2023, during a reunion of the 1983 championship team.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
    by Staff Reports
    Published 

Earl “The Twirl” Cureton, a 6-foot-9 center and power forward who won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983, died suddenly Sunday morning in Farmington Hills, Mich., at age 66, according to the Detroit Pistons. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Cureton played three seasons for the Pistons and served for 10 years as a community ambassador for the team. The Sixers drafted him out of Detroit Mercy in the third round in 1979. Cureton averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in three seasons with the team.

A Detroit native, Cureton played for Dick Vitale at Detroit Mercy and helped the Titans to the 1979 NCAA Tournament by averaging 20 points and 9.1 rebounds.

He played in 674 NBA games, averaging 5.4 points and 4.7 rebounds over 12 seasons. Cureton won another NBA title with the Houston Rockets in 1994.