Suns guard Devin Booker named Special Olympics global ambassador

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was named a global ambassador for the Special Olympics on Thursday.

In his new role, the fifth-year shooting guard will continue to support Special Olympics organizations, including work with Special Olympics Arizona.

Booker’s sister, Mya, has microdeletion syndrome, which causes mild to moderate intellectual disabilities, and that has helped him gain perspective on the community that he’s now an officially advocating.

“I’ve celebrated the accomplishments and witnessed the challenges my sister Mya has experienced as a person with intellectual disabilities,” Booker told SpecialsOlympics.org. “She motivates me every day, and I’m humbled to be part of Special Olympics, a global organization with a mission to help spread awareness about the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities.”

Booker has already been deeply involved with the Special Olympics organization, which partnered him with two members who attended NBA Draft Lottery events. In 2019, he donated $100,000 to the local organization as part of the Devin Booker Starting Five campaign, his $500,000-per-year funding of charities of his choosing.

“Special Olympics is honored to name Devin Booker as our newest Global Ambassador,” Special Olympics International CEO Mary Davis said in a press release. “People like Devin who have a sibling with intellectual disabilities possess inherent empathy for the population we serve. We are lucky to leverage his passion to inspire others around the world to join our all-out effort to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities.”

Booker joins fellow Suns guard Ricky Rubio as a Special Olympics ambassador.

At noon MST on Thursday, Booker will join ESPN’s Maria Taylor on the NBA’s Instagram account to discuss is new role, the offseason and his relationship with his sister.

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