Hooper is the mascot

Mascot

The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...

 of the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

's Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

. He generally appears as a horse wearing a Pistons jersey. The symbolism is that like the piston

Piston

A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from...

s they are named after, the team produces horsepower

Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

, hence the equine mascot. Hooper became a part of the Pistons team on November 1, 1996, replacing Sir Slam A Lot, and it did not take very long for him to become the most popular mascot in Piston's franchise history.

Though Hooper was introduced during the “teal era” to coincide with the Piston’s new equestrian logo his popularity as a mascot allowed him to remain a part of the team despite the Pistons returning to their previous colors and basketball logo only a few years later.

Hooper also takes part in the Detroit Pistons Flight Crew, which is a tumbling, acrobatic, trampoline dunking group that performs during timeouts and halftimes for Pistons games. Hooper also travels with the Flight Crew to schools across Michigan, getting dozens of cheers from school hundreds of students at school assemblies.

Fictional Background

Hooper was born in Lucky, Kentucky, and was originally trained to be a racehorse. But Hooper knew he was too talented to be relegated to horse racing. Knowing this, he trained long and hard to master his craft and hone his skills, until finally earning his spot as the Pistons' official mascot. Some of Hooper's stunts include rappelling off the roof of The Palace of Auburn Hills

The Palace of Auburn Hills

The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...

 to breaking bricks with his own hoof. He can also juggle and perform magic tricks. Hooper's birthday is March 6 and he celebrates his birthday at a Pistons home game. Hooper celebrates his birthday with Roary

Roary

Roary may refer to:*Roary the Florida Panther, mascot of college football team of the FIU Golden Panthers in Miami, FL.*Roary the Lion, mascot of American football team Detroit Lions*Roary the Lion, club mascot of English football club Middlesbrough F.C....

 from the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

, Paws

Paws (mascot)

Paws is the mascot of the Detroit Tigers. He is a tiger, dressed in a costume representing the Tigers.Paws, a native of Detroit, made his debut as the official Tigers mascot on May 5, 1995. He first started entertaining Tiger fans at Tiger Stadium, and now continues that trend at Detroit's Comerica...

 from the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

, and many of his other fellow NBA mascots.

External links

• Hooper's Pistons page