Crowder teams up with resort, casinos
Jae Crowder is breaking ground with this one.
The Phoenix Suns forward became the first athlete to have a partnership with Gila River Resorts and Casinos as he’ll be a “brand ambassador” for “the largest gaming enterprise” in the Phoenix area.
“They reached out to my business partner and I looked into them and figured out that they’re up-and-coming, they’re growing and I just want to be a part of it,” said Crowder after Tuesday’s morning shootaround before Game 2 against the Pelicans.
“It’s an opportunity there for me and I just wanted to take advantage of it. Help the company grow, help my brand grow.”
Crowder will host the “Summer Oasis Pool Party” series at Gila River’s Wild Horse Pass in Chandler that’ll feature celebrity DJs on the last Saturday of each month from May through September at the resort’s new Oasis Pool.
“Just continue to grow my local brand here,” Crowder said. “Give back whenever I can and grow my businesses whenever I can, but obviously when you have that connection off the court with the fans, community and businesses, you want to take advantage of it and grow as a person and as a basketball player.”
Crowder is the latest Suns player to receive a local endorsement deal as the Suns have the top overall seed in this year’s NBA playoffs.
“You’ve got to win to get some offthe-court deals and stuff,” a smiling Crowder said.
“That’s just the fruits of our labor. That’s just putting in work off the court, you get opportunities off the court. It just comes with winning. That’s what winning brings.”
Devin Booker is a co-owner of Coco5, an all-natural sports hydration drink, that made its debut on March 23 exclusively in all Fry’s grocery stores in Arizona.
Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, fellow NBA players D’Angelo Russell, Derrick Rose, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, former NBA player Jahlil Okafor, and ESPN’s Michael Wilbon are Booker’s partners for the non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan beverage.
Booker was also in a pair of Corona commercials during March Madness along with Sue Bird, Christian Laettner and Vince Carter.
Cameron Payne collaborated with the Suns on “Valley Threads,” a clothing line that enables the players to show their creative side. Proceeds will benefit “a Valley nonprofit selected by the player who designed the piece.”
Payne has also teamed up with the Built By Gamers (BBG) as an owner and participant with the Arizonabased E-sports and Gaming Lifestyle organization.
BBG rosters major gaming titles such as Fortnite, Valorant, Halo, Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and PUB.
Chris Paul has several national endorsements that includes State Farm as he included Suns head coach Monty Williams in one of his commercials that debuted during NBA All-Star weekend.