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Soloist and member of the world-famous K-pop boy band, BTS SUGA, was recently named an NBA ambassador - something that he said was one of his biggest dreams several times prior to this. In fact, SUGA's journey with basketball goes all the way back to when the idol was still a high school student.
Given that even his stage name is a representation of his passion for the sport, him becoming the latest NBA ambassador has greatly delighted fans. Despite the change in trajectory that music brought to his life, the idol has always showcased how much he respects and loves the sport, be it participating as an audience in a game or playing whenever he can in-between his schedules.
Upon finally being revealed as the newest NBA ambassador, in his interview with the National Basketball Association, he said:
"Music and basketball have been shared passions of mine since my youth, and it's a dream to be named an NBA Ambassador. 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."
Following this, SUGA attended his first match as an NBA ambassador - the semi-finals between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat.
While it's hard to measure his love for basketball, here is everything we know about the BTS member's journey with the sport.
BTS SUGA's journey to the NBA: A quick overview
There have been many instances where BTS SUGA has opened up about his professional preparations to become a basketball player since his childhood.
As a student, the idol was actively participating in his high school's basketball team under the position of a shooting guard. However, he couldn't pursue the dream professionally due to his short height, which proved to be a disadvantage for the game.
Even after he became a music producer member of BTS, he managed to squeeze in time for the sport - playing it whenever he could. On such instance was the 2015 ISAC (Idol Star Athletics Championships), where BTS SUGA displayed his basketball skills for the first time ever.
The idol not only scored the first two-pointer of the game, but also contributed to his team's ultimate win in that basketball match. Many commended him for his shooting skills, which looked neither easy nor amateur.
Additionally, the significance of basketball in the idol's life grows when one realizes what his stage name, SUGA, refers to.
In one of the group's initial interviews during the debut phase, BTS SUGA revealed that his name is the amalgamation of the first syllables of his position in his high school basketball team, the shooting guard. In Korean, the first syllables become SU (슈) and GA (가) - emphasizing upon the significance of the sport in his life.
BTS SUGA has also been spotted in several basketball matches over the years. In 2020, the idol made his first appearance at a Los Angeles Lakers game, where he was accompanied by MAX, the artist with whom he was collaborating at the time.
Since then, he has attended various other matches like the Los Angeles Clippers game and the 2022 NBA Japan Games, which had the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards playing against each other.
BTS SUGA's presence at the 2022 NBA Japan Games was quite an iconic event, given that it marked the realization of his dream of meeting legendary basketball players like Steph Curry. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the idol was deeply focused during the match and even unconsciously slipped a few refereeing symbols.
His most recent presence at a basketball match before being named the newest NBA ambassador was for the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks game, where the idol came in support of the former.
He also posted a picture of himself posing with his personalized jersey from the Lakers. This became the initial sign that BTS SUGA might be more involved with the NBA than just being an occasional audience member at their matches.
Even back in 2020, during their filming for BTS' 2021 Season Greetings, where each member was asked to create a character and narrate a story on them, SUGA's character was based on a guy from LA whose dream is to make it to the NBA.
Alongside this, with an abundance of photoshoots where BTS SUGA can be seen with a basketball, his occasional adorning of basketball jerseys, and the many behind-the-scenes cuts of him playing the sport, proves that it is only fitting that the idol has now earned the distinction of becoming an NBA ambassador.
