{{Short description|American basketball player (1964–2016)}} {{for multi|other basketball players|Duane Washington|and|Duane Washington Jr.}} {{Use American English|date=November 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Dwayne Washington | caption = | image = | birth_date = {{birth date|1964|01|06}} | birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2016|04|20|1964|01|06}} | death_place= The Bronx, New York, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2 | weight_lbs = 190 | highschool = Boys and Girls (Brooklyn, New York) | college = Syracuse (1983–1986) | draft_year = 1986 | draft_round = 1 | draft_pick = 13 | draft_team = New Jersey Nets | career_start = 1986 | career_end = 1991 | career_position = Point guard | career_number = 1, 31 | years1 = {{nbay|1986|start}}–{{nbay|1987|end}} | team1 = New Jersey Nets | years2 = {{nbay|1988|full=y}} | team2 = Miami Heat | years3 = 1989–1990 | team3 = Rapid City Thrillers | years4 = 1990–1991 | team4 = San Jose Jammers | highlights = * Consensus second-team All-American (1985) * Second-team All-American – UPI (1986) * Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (1986) * 3× First-team All-Big East (1984–1986) * No. 31 retired by Syracuse Orange * McDonald's All-American Co-MVP (1983) * First-team ''Parade'' All-American (1983) * Second-team ''Parade'' All-American (1982) | medal_templates = {{MedalSport | Men's basketball}} {{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}} {{MedalCompetition|FIBA U19 World Championship}} {{MedalGold| 1983 Palma de Mallorca | National team}} }} '''Dwayne Alonzo''' "'''Pearl'''" '''Washington''' (January 6, 1964 – April 20, 2016) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A {{height|ft=6|in=2}}, {{convert|190|lb|kg}} point guard, he was best known for his college career for Syracuse University, where he was an All-American.
== Early life == Washington grew up in the Brownsville section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, where he acquired his nickname as an eight-year-old in a taunting comparison to Earl "the Pearl" Monroe.<ref>Vecsey, George. [https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/09/sports/sports-of-the-times-the-pearl-fits-in-at-syracuse.html "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; The Pearl Fits In At Syracuse"], ''The New York Times'', March 9, 1984. Accessed December 5, 2007. "This part of the legend does survive: Washington admits that when he was 8 years old at the Howard Housing Project in Brownsville, his elders asked him: ''Who do you think you are, the Pearl?''"</ref> He was a playground phenomenon from Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, and was rated as the number one overall high school player in the United States in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/all-starsportsreport.html |title=hot<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=July 11, 2008 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170829/http://www.hoopscooponline.com/members/all-starsportsreport.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== College career == Washington played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and the Carrier Dome. "The Pearl" was the master of the "shake and bake", in which he would leave his defensive opposition standing still while he drove by them for a layup. Utah Jazz point guard and NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton named Washington as the toughest player he guarded at the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials training camp.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211206/xDOmTLT1CEw Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200407132254/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDOmTLT1CEw Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDOmTLT1CEw&t=77s| title = John Stockton on the Dan Patrick Show (Full Interview) 6/20/14 | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
== Professional career == Washington was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the first round (13th pick) of the 1986 NBA draft. In two seasons with the Nets he averaged nine points per game.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-20 |title=Former Syracuse great Pearl Washington dies |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/15277787/former-syracuse-great-dwayne-pearl-washington-dies |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 1988 the Miami Heat selected Washington in their expansion draft. He played 54 games for the Heat before being released.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 30, 1989 |title=SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Heat Releases Pearl Washington |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/30/sports/sports-people-basketball-heat-releases-pearl-washington.html |access-date=January 29, 2020 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
Following Washington's release from Miami, Washington played for the Rapid City Thrillers and San Jose Jammers in the Continental Basketball Association.<ref>1991–92 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 329</ref>
==Personal life== Washington had surgery on August 27, 2015, at Crouse Hospital in Syracuse to address a malignant brain tumor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Red |first=Christian |last2=Armstrong |first2=Kevin |date=August 31, 2015 |title=Syracuse basketball star Dwayne 'Pearl' Washington has malignant brain tumor: report |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/cuse-star-pearl-washington-malignant-brain-tumor-report-article-1.2343504 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901192220/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/cuse-star-pearl-washington-malignant-brain-tumor-report-article-1.2343504 |archive-date=September 1, 2015 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |website=nydailynews.com}}</ref> He died on April 20, 2016, at the age of 52.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 20, 2016 |title=Former Syracuse basketball star Pearl Washington dies at 52 |url=https://www.latimes.com/la-sp-sn-pearl-washington-dies-20160420-story.html |access-date=Apr 20, 2016 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {{NBA player statistics legend}}
===NBA=== Source<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/washipe01.html|title=Pearl Washington NBA stats|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=20 April 2026}}</ref>
====Regular season==== {{NBA player statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1986}} | style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey | '''72''' || '''61''' || '''22.2''' || '''.478''' || .167 || .784 || 1.8 || '''4.2''' || 1.2 || '''.1''' || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1987}} | style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey | 68 || 10 || 20.3 || .448 || '''.224''' || .698 || 1.7 || 3.0 || 1.3 || '''.1''' || '''9.3''' |- | style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1988}} | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 54 || 8 || 19.7 || .424 || .071 || '''.788''' || '''2.3''' || '''4.2''' || '''1.4''' || '''.1''' || 7.6 |-class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career | 194 || 79 || 20.8 || .452 || .184 || .746 || 1.9 || 3.8 || 1.3 || .1 || 8.6 {{s-end}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{basketballstats|nba=78465|bbr=w/washipe01}} * [http://www.orangehoops.org/DWashington.htm Syracuse Orange bio]
{{1986 NBA draft}} {{1985 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Dwayne}} Category:1964 births Category:2016 deaths Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen Category:All-American college men's basketball players Category:American men's basketball players Category:Basketball players from Brooklyn Category:Deaths from brain cancer in New York (state) Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Miami Heat expansion draft picks Category:Miami Heat players Category:New Jersey Nets draft picks Category:New Jersey Nets players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Brownsville, Brooklyn Category:Point guards Category:Rapid City Thrillers players Category:San Jose Jammers players Category:Syracuse Orange men's basketball players Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen