According to Syracuse.com, Brooklyn native and Syracuse University hoops legend Dwayne “Pearl” Washington is gravely ill
Diagnosed last summer with a brain tumor, Washington has been receiving treatment in Manhattan at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“The doctors have said it won’t be long, but we don’t know what that means,” Washington’s friend Mark Finney told syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota. “It could be a month, it could be weeks. We’re just accepting that God is ready for him. It’s Pearl’s time.”
Throughout this season, the Orange have worn warm-up shirts with white letters spelling out “Pearl” in script.
Washington was one of the greatest and most celebrated high school players to ever come out of New York City. He was an All-American point guard in his sophomore and junior seasons at Syracuse. He left college after three years and was selected with the 13th overall pick in 1986 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets.