He’s an old head with a smart mind.
Back in the day, he was an NBA enforcer, but that designation doesn’t exist anymore.
“No, it doesn’t,” states Tom Hoover, the seventh pick in the 1963 NBA draft by the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers). He also played for the Knicks. So, once a Knick, always a Knick? “The Knicks aren’t dogs. They don’t have a dog on the bench.”
But they just acquired tough-as-nails Jose Alvarado.
“He’s a little guy,” points out Hoover about the six-foot Brooklynite… “Nobody out there can fight.”
Spoken like a true back-in-the-day enforcer.
Hoover, even at 85, talks the talk and walks it too.
He is president of the New York chapter of The Legends of Basketball (formerly the National Basketball Retired Players Association) with one mission.
“We give back to the community that produced us,” says the Washington, D.C., native who attended Villanova University. “We just finished the All-Star Game, and we had a full week of interaction with our youth in the greater Los Angeles urban area.
“We have an E-sports program which runs from Monday through Thursday, servicing over 35 kids per day, where we teach them coding, video gaming, and how to put the video game together. The different aspects of fashion, the music writing in the story, the correct language they want to use, the whole graphics part of it.”
Don’t worry, Hoover’s got the Big Apple covered.
“I’m getting ready to put together a program at Tribeca Coding for P.S. 329 and an elementary school, both in Coney Island, and two schools in Bed-Stuy,” declares Hoover, who also played in the ABA. “This summer, we’re going to have a coding camp and partnership with Tribeca Coding. That’s my partner there.”
Hoover and The Legends are trying to educate young people, while some in the NBA are missing the point. We can’t all play in the NBA, but there are other jobs like coding.
What advice would you give these young NBA millionaires?
“Buy a Honda,” says Hoover, who’s known for his booming laugh, but not this time. “You don’t need the bling because if you die, it ain’t going with you. Just ask the Egyptians. I understand the flash, but the smart guys, you don’t see diamonds, you don’t see the big chains. They drive a sensible car. They live modestly. You don’t need 14 rooms.”
Is it hard to get through to some of these stars?
“Is it hard to talk to you if you got 60 million in your pocket?” asks Hoover. “You answered your own question.”
For the Manhattan resident, it’s all about watching out for yourself.
“Once you establish yourself, if you want to splurge, then you splurge,” he preaches, adding, “you have to sign every check even if your mama or your auntie or your daddy is taking care of your money.
“You better make sure you sign every check, and you know exactly where the money is going, because if you don’t, you will be broke.”
The main reason The Legends work is because the youngsters get to witness real-life success stories up close.
“We have a lunch called ‘Lunch with the Stars.’ We’ve done it the past seven years,” states Hoover. At the recent All-Star Game, the stars came out. “They get a chance to see Archie Clark, [Hall of Famers] Oscar (Robertson), Dave Bing, and Spencer Haywood.
“That’s why we do what we do in the community,” he says, “to try to give back, and to touch.”
Hoover is impressed with the players who do give back.
“SGA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) for one and Steph [Curry],” he says, “and [Stephon] Marbury. He stopped playing, but he’s all over the community in Coney Island.”
Just like a certain old-head enforcer.
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