Tom Hammonds
Tom Edward Hammonds is a retired American professional basketball player and National Hot Rod Association drag racer. He was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and attended Crestview High School in Crestview, Florida.
Hammonds played college basketball at Georgia Institute of Technology, earning Rookie of the Year honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1986. After graduating in 1989, he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the first round in the 1989 NBA Draft. He played 12 NBA seasons for the Bullets, Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Hornets and Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 5.3 points per game in his career. He scored a career-high 31 points for the Bullets against the New York Knicks, on January 29, 1992.
While enrolled at Georgia Tech, Hammonds played for the US national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal.
While playing for the Nuggets, Hammonds became involved in drag racing. He qualified in the 1996 Mopar Parts Mile High Nationals, only to lose to Kurt Johnson. He owns his own NHRA team, racing in the NHRA's Pro Stock class since 1996.
Hammonds also opened a car dealership in Darlington, South Carolina.
