Phoenix Suns hire longtime Gatorade global marketing leader Jeff Chieng as new chief marketing officer
Jeff Chieng has been hired as the new chief marketing officer for the Phoenix Suns and WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, team officials confirmed Tuesday to The Arizona Republic.
Chieng previously worked for Gatorade as head of global sports marketing for basketball, baseball, hockey, motorsports and Olympic portfolio.
An Indiana University graduate, Chieng worked for more than two decades for Gatorade as he played a major role in global marketing strategies and multi-million dollar contract negotiations. He also developed relationships between teams, athletes and sports leagues.
Chieng has worked with the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR and Olympics.
"Professionally speaking, the person who has had the biggest influence on my career in sports has been my boss and mentor, Jeff Chieng," said Keri Lockett in a Sports Business Journal article dated Sept. 26, 2022.
Lockett facilitated Gatorade’s multiyear deal with UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers, who last November became the first college athlete to sign (NIL deal) with the energy sports drink company in its 55-year history.
"Jeff is not only a sports marketing veteran at Gatorade, but a legend in the industry. His influence on my career has been the equivalent to that of Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) or Pat Summitt, but of sports marketing."
Chieng was on the James Jordan Foundation advisory board from June 2018 to March 2022.
Based out of Chicago, the foundation named after Michael Jordan's late father has a mission to provide "a pathway out of poverty by empowering youth to achieve their full potential and by leveling the playing field so they can become successful human beings and productive contributors to society."
Hall of Famer Michael Jordan is the biggest and most recognizable Gatorade endorser with the longstanding "Be Like Mike" campaign that started back in 1991.
Dean Stoyer was the previous chief marketing communications officer for the Suns from September 2019 to December 2022 after serving as vice president of brand communications at Under Armour for two years.
The Suns just completed a trade sending Cameron Payne, a second-round pick and cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs for a protected second-round pick.
They also traded a future first-round pick swap to the Orlando Magic for three future second-round picks.
The team is also bringing in 7-footer Bol Bol on a one-year deal, sources informed The Republic.
Bol Bol averaged a career-high 9.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in his one year with the Magic last season. He also played a career-best 70 games with 33 starts, which is also a career-high.
In his previous three seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Bol Bol played a total of 53 games and started just two of them.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns hire Jeff Chieng as new chief marketing officer
