Louie Gregory has come a long way from being the manager of Sachem’s only Suffolk County championship basketball team in 1996.
Almost 30 years later he was center court on the biggest basketball stage being honored for his career in government and service to the United States.
Gregory retired from his post with U.S. Customs and Border Protection after 20 years of government service. He rose through the ranks from the lowest entry level Custom’s agent to a chief in Florida and retired as the Director of Communications for the country’s largest government agency.
The Miami Heat honored him as part of their Hometown Heroes program prior to one of the NBA Finals games this month. He was flanked by his wife and daughters as the packed arena paid tribute to his lifetime pursuit of service and protection.
“To have the NBA recognize the totality of my accomplishments without omitting my service to our great country was a full circle moment of honor and pride,” said Gregory, who was inducted into the Sachem Hall of Honor in 2018, “something that could not have happened until I retired from Federal Law Enforcement because I had to maintain a certain anonymity. The icing on the cake was being able to have my family there to share the moment when the announcer recognized me, center court, to an arena packed with NBA fans at an NBA Finals game for my favorite team, the Miami Heat!”
Gregory has juggled several hats as a music producer and talent manager for the likes of Bill Goldberg, The Fat Boys, Eric B. and many other pop culture stars. He has also made several appearances on television, including a recurring role as himself in The Goldbergs on ABC.
“Working in music, pro sports and TV has been truly rewarding,” he said, “a dream come true for a chubby little kid from Long Island who had to earn his way onto every team, every music project and every TV show.”
He said “earn and hustle” are synonymous with “grit and determination” in his life and career.
“Juggling those entertainment and sports career paths after my decision to put America First was a difficult dynamic and I always had to separate those two distinctly different personas I had established,” he said.