For this NBA and ABA veteran, ambition, intelligence and the drive to succeed has taken him far beyond the basketball court. Tom Hoover is a scuba diver, record collector, music mogul, community ambassador and businessman… and that’s not all.
Serving as the NBRPA’s New York City Chapter President, Hoover doesn’t stop until his goal is reached, a mentality that has earned him a laundry list of accomplishments throughout the years.
Drafted by the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) in the first round (7th pick) of the 1963 NBA Draft, his five professional basketball seasons included stops with the New York Knicks and St. Louis Hawks, as well as with ABA teams including the Denver Rockets, Houston Mavericks, Minnesota Pipers and New York Nets.
When it came time to hang up his basketball sneakers, Hoover knew it was on him to get his ducks in a row.
“We always had to work in the off-season, so when I retired, work became full-time,” said the Villanova University star. “I always had the drive and ambition to see what else I could do and how to use my creativity.”
Spending several off-seasons participating in kids basketball camps and clinics as a Knick, his interest in children and education flourished. Hoover began to run an anti-poverty program in New York City, wherein he and his partner Lane Howell (seven-year NFL veteran) helped place teenagers in summer jobs. Through his involvement in the program, he landed a position as an aid for Former New York City Mayor John Lindsay.
After a stint in the Mayor’s office, his career took a turn toward the industry in which he has always found great passion for – music. Kicking things off as a promoter, Hoover traveled from venue to venue endorsing the rock band, Sly and the Family Stone, whose music was an inspired blend of rock, soul, pop, jazz and emerging genre soon to be dubbed funk.
Paving his way in the entertainment industry, Hoover joined forces with comedy legend Richard Pryor, and worked alongside him as his road manager.
“I would go on the road with him, and I took care of all the business aspects…collect the money, make sure everything was running smoothly, make sure we got places on time.”
Following his time with Pryor, Hoover spent several years as road manager for the soul group The Spinners, as well as for Grammy winner Natalie Cole.
By the mid-70s, Hoover’s family began to grow with the birth of his son, and his priorities began to shift.
“I always loved the music business, but when my son was born, I wanted to stay more local, closer to home. I was able to travel less and work as a manager for the disco groups D Train and GQ.” v Remaining in New York City, Hoover joined forces with well-known DJ, Jerry Bledsoe, and created NATRA, which stood for the National Association of Television and Radio Artists.
“The mission of NATRA was to help get health insurance benefits for DJs, as well as to recognize the impact DJs like Frankie Cocker, Georgie Woods, Tommy Smalls and others were having on the community.”
Around the same time, Hoover dabbled in another facet of the entertainment industry, and this time it was acting. Featured in a variety of commercials for companies like General Electric, Vitalis and Budweiser, he found a more consistent job in another field he loved so much.
“I have been a boxing fan for years and years. I always went to Madison Square Garden to watch the fights live. Through a relationship I had with MSG Announcer John Condon, I was fortunate enough to secure employment as an inspector for the NY State Athletic Commission, where I was in charge of all television contracts regarding boxing and wrestling, as well as boxer management contracts.”
Working his way up from inspector to chief and then deputy commissioner. He founded the Adopt-A-School program along with Joe Spinelli for Governor Mario Cuomo, which taught kids about the importance of education, as well as helped launch a national seatbelt safety campaign, featuring the likes of MC Hammer, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, the Gatling Brothers and others.
Recognizing the importance of the Adopt-A-School Program, the Brooklyn District Attorney brought Hoover in to further expand the program in the borough of Brooklyn.
“The Program is still running in Brooklyn. Back then we had tons of celebrities coming in to speak to the kids…guys like Earl Monroe, George Foreman, Hulk Hogan, Randy (Macho Man) Savage, Teddy Atlas and so many more.”
Working hard for many years, it was finally time for Hoover to come up for air.
Currently, the Washington DC native is the president of the National Basketball Retired Players Association New York Chapter a certified scuba diver who looks forward to diving trips throughout the Caribbean and around the world. He is also proud of his record collection, which exceeds 500, and enjoys photography. Keeping his hand in the business world, Hoover still maintains his business mindset, as he is senior director of community and governmental affairs with Fairway Markets, an up-scale New York grocery store.
While nobody, not even Hoover himself, knows where his next venture will take him, one thing’s for sure…he is not going anywhere anytime soon.
“Like they say about New York City, ‘If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere’…I’ve always had success in New York, and there’s no sense in going anywhere else…it’s the greatest city in the world, that’s why they named it twice – New York, New York.”