Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte and Vee Quiva — and Phoenix Suns starter Jae Crowder have formed a  partnership in which Crowder will serve as a brand ambassador for the growing gaming enterprise.

Owned and operated by the Gila River Indian Community, Gila River Resorts & Casinos is the largest gaming enterprise in the Phoenix  area, with three locations and a fourth casino, Santan Mountain, set to open later this year.

Crowder is the first professional athlete to engage in an endorsement deal with GRRC.

“Jae Crowder is a bossman, and we are honored to have him as our first-ever brand icon,” said Dominic Orozco, president and chief marketing officer at Gila River Resorts & Casinos. “Gila River is celebrating its new resorts designation in a big way with Jae. His talent, drive, and vision with his business manager, Josh Mason, is unmatched. We are excited to welcome Jae as our new teammate to the Gila River family.”

A powerful forward with the Phoenix Suns, Crowder has helped the team reach the NBA playoffs for the past two seasons. In addition to being a star athlete, he is big on giving back to the community and is a budding entrepreneur. His lifestyle clothing brand Bossmann is an expression of his personality to unapologetically be yourself, which is complementary to Gila River’s mantra, “You Do You.”

To kick off the partnership, Crowder will host the Summer Oasis Pool Party at Gila River Resorts & Casinos - Wild Horse Pass in Chandler. This exclusive concert series will feature celebrity DJs the last Saturday of each month from May through September at the resort’s new Oasis Pool.

“I have a vision of growing with Gila River as we have a lot of things in common,” said Crowder. “Being an athlete at the highest level with one of the best teams in the NBA, it is important to grow my local relationships with people whom I am comfortable with and believe in.”

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