Celebrity presence is nothing new in the NBA. We’ve seen the likes of Drake, Jack Nicholson, and director Spike Lee supporting their favorite teams. However, it’s not everyday that a celebrity officially partners up with the NBA as one of its global ambassadors. And the NBA did not disappoint in their latest choice–Min Yoon-gi, better known as Suga from the K-Pop global supergroup BTS.
Suga’s been a big fan of the NBA since he was young. As any hardcore ARMY knows, his stage name is from playing as a shooting guard in his high school basketball team. And now, he’s had frequent interactions with the league that have gone viral and worthy of reliving. If you want a taste of Suga’s best fan moments, here are some of our favorites from the Suga x NBA crossover!
Fanboying knows no borders
Before the 2022-23 NBA Season began, then-defending champions Golden State Warriors faced the Washington Wizards for a pre-season game held in Japan. The BTS star proved that his fandom knew know borders as he was courtside to watch the game in Japan. He even got to meet Warriors superstar Steph Curry before the game, and received autographed shoes from Steph after! You could clearly tell Suga was there for the love of the game–even showing all of us his basketball knowledge when he signaled like a referee during one of the plays.
Real recognizes real
In 2021, Suga said in an interview with Vogue magazine that the Portland Trailblazers and their superstar, Damian Lillard, was his favorite team and player. The popstar also preferred the underdog teams over the bigger franchises. When Damian Lillard got hold of the news, he went to Twitter to recognize the rapper’s admiration for him and thanked him personally. Oh, to be Suga and getting your favorite players to know you exist!
Chuck the Condor is not worthy
Back in the 2021 NBA season, Suga watched a Clippers vs. Pistons game courtside and got spotted by the Clippers mascot, Chuck the Condor. It was one of his first appearances at an official NBA game and it immediately went viral thanks to the Clippers mascot bowing down to the K-Pop superstar.
Some Suga in the finals
Now that he’s an NBA Ambassador, Suga didn’t miss out on making an appearance for the NBA’s ad campaign for the 2022-23 NBA Finals. He stood alongside NBA legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, pro skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, and late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel–and Suga seemed to shine brightest among them.
Get the courtside experience with NBA League Pass
Not all of us can be as lucky as Suga and watch games courtside–but we can watch every game live or on demand with NBA League Pass! Stream live games, classic games, and other NBA content, powered by the nation’s fastest internet as awarded by Ookla Speedtest, PLDT Home Fiber Plus Plans.