South Korean BTS star SUGA appointed as NBA global ambassador and says “it’s a dream” come true

The National Basketball Association keeps breaking international barriers, taking the U.S. and Canadian sport to promote itself all around the world to inspire young players, as well as entertain fans from all over. Their latest move was in alliance with BIGHIT MUSIC, the label that leads the industry with modern pop icons BTS from South Korea.

The league just named SUGA, the leader of the of the popular Asian group, as its new global ambassador with the purpose of engaging with basketball fans from around the world for the remainder of this campaign and beyond. Besides being a NBA fan himself, the rapper is also the main songwriter and producer of BTS music.

#SUGAxNBA pic.twitter.com/x1uqdsddEO

— NBA (@NBA) April 6, 2023

The famous musician will now take part in many league initiatives to be featured on his personal social media channels, as well as the NBA’s. SUGA will have to attend NBA games, as he’s done in the past, and other events involving U.S. basketball in America and Asia, as he participantes and promotes the league’s activities.

However, their relationship will go both ways, as the NBA will also be a part of his own personal agenda. Now that the rapper will take on the world of music as a solo career, the league will have presence throughout his first world tour. BIGHIT MUSIC expects the league to collaborate around selected concerts and be a strong presence in the celebration of the release of SUGA’s debut album called “D-DAY”.

“Music and basketball have been shared passions of mine since my youth, and it’s a dream to be named an NBA Ambassador,” said SUGA. “I’m excited to formalize my relationship with the NBA, and I can’t wait to share some exciting collaborations I have planned with the league over the coming months.”

BTS has featured basketball before in their musical projects

There’s a reason why the young star was selected for this new role, as he’s featured basketball in many of BTS’ projects, especially the music video of global hit “Dynamite”, which earned the band their first No.1 appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in 2020.

Take a look at the video for BTS’ massive hit which stunned the world during the pandemic:

“We’re thrilled to join forces with SUGA – a superstar musician, fashion icon, and passionate NBA fan,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum. “We look forward to working with SUGA to bring the same excitement he engenders from his global fanbase in support of our continued efforts to grow our brand.”

In September of last year, the young superstar was part of The NBA Japan Games 2022, which were presented by Rakuten and Nissan. The prestigious event featured the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors playing two friendly preseason matches against the Washington Wizards, as SUGA sat courtside and generated behind the scenes content for social media, as well as meet and greets with NBA stars.

His last appearance was on January 12, as he attended a NBA clash between the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers in Los Angeles.