He played basketball, football and baseball at Taft HS in Woodland Hills and became an official at the age of 15 to make summer money. He attended Pierce College and graduated from San Diego State before becoming an NBA and collegiate referee. As an NBA official beginning November 4, 1989, he was referee for 1,506 regular-season games and 122 playoff games over 29 seasons. In addition to his NBA work, Spooner worked seven years as a collegiate official experience at the Pac-12, Big West, and West Coast conferences. He also spent eight years as a California high school official. Some of his notable career milestones included being referee for Magic Johnson’s second game back from retirement in 1996, working Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point game in 2006, and he was part of the crew that called the Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking 73rd win in 2016. He also officiated the 2005 NBA All-Star Game in Denver wearing #22. He retired in October 2021. His son Drew officiated his first California State Championship basketball game in 2025.