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Wizards To Retire 'Earl The Pearl' Monroe's Uniform No. 10Washington Wizards' Owners Abe and Irene Pollin and the Washington Wizards' organization will retire legendary Baltimore Bullet Earl Monroe’s uniform number 10. Monroe’s number will officially be retired in a special halftime ceremony on Saturday, December 1st when the Wizards host the Toronto Raptors. December 1st will also mark the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the opening of Verizon Center which hosted its first NBA game on December 2, 1997. “This is a great honor,” said Monroe. “I was drafted by the Bullets, and it was in Baltimore where I started my professional career. It was four great years with a lot of fond memories. It was a wonderful experience. My four years with the Bullets set the tone for the rest of my career, and now it brings me full circle with my number being retired.” Monroe, who was drafted by the Bullets out of Winston-Salem State University with the second overall pick in the first round of the 1967 NBA Draft, was dubbed ‘Earl The Pearl’ during his playing career. As a Baltimore Bullet, he won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1968 after averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his first professional season. In four-plus seasons as a Bullet, Monroe averaged 23.7 points per game, and alongside Bullets' legends like Wes Unseld, Gus Johnson, Jack Marin and Kevin Loughery, Monroe and the Bullets advanced to the 1970-71 NBA Finals. His then-franchise record of 56 points in a single game (2/13/68 vs. LA Lakers) stood for nearly four decades until Gilbert Arenas edged Monroe with 60 points at Los Angeles on December 17, 2006. In Monroe’s four full seasons in Baltimore (1967-68 through 1970-71), he led the Bullets in points and assists each season. Monroe was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1990 and was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. His uniform #10 will join Wes Unseld’s #41, Elvin Hayes’ #11 and Gus Johnson’s #25 among the franchise’s retired numbers. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets In Battle Of Double Triple-Doubles, Warriors Get The Better Of WizardsIn a rare instance of double triple-doubles, Baron Davis and the Warriors got the better of Caron Butler and the Wizards. Davis had 33 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds, Stephen Jackson scored 28 points, and Golden State beat Washington 123-115 on Friday night, ending the Wizards' six-game winning streak. Butler, coming off a career-high 39-point effort Wednesday, did his best to keep Washington unbeaten without sidelined Gilbert Arenas, but it wasn't quite enough. Butler finished with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Antawn Jamison had 30 points and 12 rebounds. Davis and Butler are the first pair of opponents with triple-doubles in the same game in more than 4 1/2 years. Orlando's Tracy McGrady and New Jersey's Jason Kidd did it on Feb. 23, 2003. Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Arenas Reiterates Desire To Re-Sign
"If everything goes like it's supposed to, I'm going to re-sign here," Arenas said in a telephone interview. "If everything goes well I'm going to re-sign. We're going to build something, and hopefully my number one day will go up in the rafters." The Wizards (6-5) can offer Arenas more money than any other team. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Wizards Nov 2007 Archive
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Washington Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas said yesterday he still wants to re-sign with the Wizards next summer after he opts out of his contract, and he believes the team is good enough to make the playoffs without him in the lineup for the next three months.