 Tolbert, circa 1987 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1965-10-16)October 16, 1965 (age 60) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Artesia (Lakewood, California) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 1988: 2nd round, 34th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Charlotte Hornets |
| Playing career | 1988–1995 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 23, 3, 40, 39 |
| Career history | |
| 1988 | Charlotte Hornets |
| 1988–1989 | Canarias |
| 1989–1992 | Golden State Warriors |
| 1992–1993 | Orlando Magic |
| 1993–1994 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 1994–1995 | Charlotte Hornets |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,030 (6.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,251 (4.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 285 (0.9 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Thomas Byron Tolbert Jr. (born October 16, 1965) is an American sports broadcaster and former professionalbasketball player. He played a total of seven seasons in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).[1] After retiring from basketball, Tolbert became a radio show co-host onKNBR inSan Francisco and NBA commentator for the television networksNBC,ABC andNBA on ESPN.
Tolbert graduated fromArtesia High School inLakewood, California in 1983.
Following high school, he playedcollege basketball at theUniversity of California, Irvine (1983–1985),Cerritos College (1985–86), and theUniversity of Arizona (1986–1988). While at Arizona, Tolbert played under coachLute Olson, helping the team to an appearance in the 1988Final Four. At Arizona, Tolbert was a teammate of five-time NBA champion and futureGolden State Warriors coachSteve Kerr.
In 1988, he was a second-round draft pick (9th pick, 34th overall) of theCharlotte Hornets.[1]
Tolbert spent seven seasons playing for a number of NBA teams, including Charlotte (1988–89, 94–95), the Golden State Warriors (1989–92), theOrlando Magic (1992–93), and theLos Angeles Clippers (1993–94). He also played briefly forCanarias in the Spanish league. He retired following the1994-95 season after his first son was born.
In 1996, Tolbert was hired byKNBR, aSan Francisco-based local sports radio station, to co-host a radio talk show titledThe Razor and Mr. T with longtimeBay Area sports radio hostRalph Barbieri. The show attracted high ratings in the Bay Area with male listeners aged 25 to 54.[2] The title of the show was changed toThe Mr. T Show following the departure of Barbieri from KNBR in the summer of 2012. In 2014, with formerSan Francisco Chronicle columnistRay Ratto becoming co-host, the show becameMr. T & Ratto.[3] Beginning in 2019, Tolbert hosted theTolbert, Krueger & Brooks Show.[4][5] On February 25, 2022, Larry Kreuger and Rod Brooks were removed from the show.[6]
On November 14, 2024, Tolbert was fired after 28 years with KNBR, as part of the station's latest round of layoffs.[7]
From December 2012 to the end of the 2016 NBA season, Tolbert joined theGolden State Warriors Radio Network ascolor commentator alongside play-by-play announcerTim Roye.[8]
In addition to his radio work in San Francisco, Tolbert was a color commentator for NBA telecasts onNBC. He was nominated for anEmmy in2002 for his work as a commentator onNBC. He then worked forESPN from 2002 to 2007.[9] In2003, Tolbert - along withBrad Nessler andBill Walton - called theNBA Finals forABC.[3]
Tolbert lives inAlameda, California with his wife and three children.[3]
In 2017, he suffered anaortic aneurysm and underwent emergency heart surgery. He returned to his radio hosting duties after a week-long recovery.[10]
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