Dwayne "Pearl" Washington, who dazzled Syracuse University basketball crowds for three seasons back in the 1980s, has suffered a relapse of a brain tumor that was first treated in November of 1995.
Washington, 51, will have surgery at Crouse Hospital on Thursday. He has been reluctant to speak publicly about the recurrence of the tumor, his friend Mark Finney said, "because he's a very private person."
A terrific ballhandler and playmaker, Washington averaged 15.7 points and 6.7 assists during his Syracuse career. He was chosen with the 13th overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets and played three years in that league before professing that he'd lost his desire for the game in which he'd proven to be such a crowd-pleasing entertaininer.