Go the Gorilla is one of the most beloved and famous mascots in the NBA. He made his debut in 1988 and is one of the well-known mascots in the league. He is an integral part of the Phoenix Suns culture and identity and is known for getting the crowd hyped for the game and entertaining them with his wild antics and dance moves.
The Suns had no official mascot for the first eleven seasons until a person made his entry in a gorilla costume to entertain the crowd during halftime. He appeared regularly at Phoenix Suns games to entertain the crowd before they made him their official mascot. Go the Gorilla is known for making fantastic dunks before the 4th quarter.
Go the Gorilla was honored when he was selected to be one of the three inaugural members of the 2005 Mascot Hall of Fame. The Phoenix Suns website suggests that the Go the Gorilla graduated from “Hairy Truman” High School in “Mon-Key West, Florida”, and went to “Fur-Man University” in 1980. With a salary of $200,000 per annum, Go the Gorilla is fourth highest paid mascots in the NBA.
Besides Go the Gorilla, the Suns also have another gorilla as their mascot. His name is “The Gorilla,” and he made his debut in 2009. Go the Gorilla dons a black furred Gorilla costume alongwith Phoenix Suns jersey and shorts. He also attends various community events and charity functions to spread the team’s culture.
Go the Gorilla Real Name
According to NBAmascots.com, Go the Gorilla is played by numerous people. They are all full-time employees of the Phoenix Suns who earn between $30,000 to $50,000 per annum. Their exact salaries are not known due to it being confidential data. Go the Gorilla was created by the Phoenix Suns marketing team and it became famous amongst the crowd instantly.
According to online sources, the first person to don the Gorilla’s uniform was Henry Rojas, who wore it from 1980 to 1988. The duties were then given to Bob Woolf, who helped introduce some of the biggest staples. He portrayed Go the Gorilla from 1988 till 2006. The honor was then transferred to Devin Nelson, who performed the mascot duties for the Suns till the 2011-12 season. The newest Go the Gorilla is from Grand Rapid, Michigan and was introduced in the 2012-13 season. He is considered as one of the best mascots in professional sports.
FAQs
A. The Phoenix Suns have kept their mascot as a gorilla since 1980 after one of their fans appeared in a gorilla costume to entertain the Suns audience.
A. Go the Gorilla has been played by 3 different people named Henry Rojas, Bob Woolf and Devin Nelson. The man behind the current Go the Gorilla is not yet revealed.
A. Go the Gorilla is the fourth highest paid mascot in the NBA with an annual salary of around $200,000.
A. According to online sources, NBA mascots’ salaries start from $25,000 per annum, and can go up to $600,000. They can also be hired to perform at private events.
