Gary Hooker

Gary Ray Hooker (February 10, 1957 – September 2024) was an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Murray State Racers. Hooker was selected as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Year during his only season with the Racers in 1980. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1980 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics and played for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Early life Hooker was born on February 10, 1957, and raised in a low-rent housing project in Harlem, New York. He started playing sports when he was seven and focused on basketball when he was nine. Hooker played basketball on the playgrounds of New York City where he developed an outside shot because he was thin and "it was dangerous" to play close to the rim. He averaged 23 points and 20.2 rebounds per game during his senior season. He started for the Bulldogs during his freshman and sophomore seasons under head coach Kermit Davis but was moved to the bench by new coach Ron Greene during his junior season for disciplinary reasons. In a 1980 interview, Hooked stated that he "was flunking out of school almost anyway" and Mississippi State "might have been glad to get rid of me." Hooker did not consider passing up his final year of collegiate eligibility because he "like college ball too much to give it up before [he] had to."

Professional career Hooker was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the fourth round of the 1980 NBA draft. On September 22, 1980, Hooker was cut by the SuperSonics. Head coach Lenny Wilkens explained that he wanted to give more playing time to his experienced players and "there was just no way possible" Hooker could have made the team. He had no plans after his college graduation other than playing basketball and briefly worked as a gardener. He played for the Globetrotters until 1984.

Personal life Hooker was married and had a daughter.