The Gold Coast SUNS are pleased to announce Australian professional basketball player and NBA world champion Aron Baynes has joined on as a club ambassador.

Baynes, a member of the 2014 NBA Championship-winning San Antonio Spurs, jumped at the opportunity to forge an exciting partnership with the GC SUNS.

The Queenslander recently represented Australia in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain where he was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder,

Baynes’ basketball career has seen him play professionally in Lithuania, Germany, Greece, Slovenia and most recently in the United States with the Spurs where, along with fellow Australian basketball star Patty Mills, they became the first two Aussies to win an NBA title since Andrew Gaze in 1999.

Gold Coast SUNS Acting CEO, Andrew Travis, said the club was thrilled to have formed a partnership with one of Australia’s highest-profile international athletes.

“Aron has played sport at the highest level, having reached the pinnacle in his profession in winning an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs,” Travis said.

“He knows what it takes to achieve success and understands the importance of building a strong, team-oriented culture, and the benchmarks surrounding high performance.

“Importantly, he is a Queenslander who spent plenty of time as a youngster in the far north of the state, which is an important development area for the club.

“We are delighted to have Aron join the Gold Coast Football Club.”

Baynes said he was thrilled to be joining the Gold Coast SUNS in an ambassadorial capacity.

“I have been following the SUNS from afar since their inception so to say I am excited about becoming an ambassador for the club is an understatement,” Baynes said.

“The club’s vision and professionalism is second to none. The playing group is forming into a force to be reckoned with and I see premierships in the not-too-distant future.

“I am thrilled to be part of this great club.”

Baynes joins Gold Coasters, surfer Mick Fanning, champion ironman Shannon Eckstein and female counterpart Courtney Hancock as proud supporters of the Gold Coast SUNS.