Tom Hoover (basketball)

Tom Hoover
Personal information
Born (1941-01-23) January 23, 1941 (age 83)
Washington, D.C.
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolArchbishop Carroll
(Washington, D.C.)
CollegeVillanova (1960–1962)
NBA draft1963: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career1962–1970
PositionCenter
Number23, 12, 24, 41, 10
Career history
1962–1963Camden Bullets
19631965New York Knicks
1965–1967Wilmington Blue Bombers
1967St. Louis Hawks
1967–1968Denver Rockets
1968Houston Mavericks
1968Minnesota Pipers
1968–1969New York Nets
1969–1970Wilmington Blue Bombers
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points1,311 (5.9 ppg)
Rebounds1,388 (6.2 rpg)
Assists237 (1.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Thomas Lee Hoover Jr. (born January 23, 1941) is an American former professional basketball player.

Hoover was born in Washington, D.C. A 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) forward/center from Villanova University, Hoover played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1963 to 1967 as a member of the New York Knicks and St. Louis Hawks. He jumped to the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967, and played two seasons there with the Denver Rockets, Houston Mavericks, Minnesota Pipers, and New York Nets. Known for his bruising, brawling play, Hoover often was cast in an enforcer role as one of the bad boys of pro basketball. In his NBA/ABA career, he averaged 5.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.[1]

Since his basketball career ended, Hoover has worked in a wide variety of fields. With former NFL player Lane Howell, he ran an employment program for teenagers in New York City. Afterward, he turned to the entertainment industry, and worked as a road manager for Richard Pryor, The Spinners and Natalie Cole. He had a brief career acting in television commercials, then channeled his interest in boxing into a job with the New York State Athletic Commission. He later ran the Adopt-A-School Program in New York City.[2]

  1. ^ "Tom Hoover NBA/ABA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Where Are They Now?" Tom Hoover Archived 2011-02-27 at the Wayback Machine. nba.com. 2009. Retrieved on September 24, 2009.