Earl Monroe is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to his on-court success and flashy style-of-play, Monroe was given the nickname Earl "The Pearl".

Monroe rose to prominence at a national level while playing basketball at Winston-Salem State University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1967, he earned NCAA College Division Player of the Year honors and led the Rams to the NCAA College Division Championship.

In 1967, the two-time All-American was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) in the first round of the NBA draft (second overall pick). He won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in a season in which he averaged 24.3 points per game.

In 1971, Monroe was traded to the New York Knicks leading the team to the 1973 NBA championship. Monroe retired in 1980.

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