The Gorilla performs a stunt at a Phoenix Suns game. The mascot is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most iconic in the NBA
The Gorilla performs a stunt at a Phoenix Suns game. The mascot is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most iconic in the NBA
For 33 years, Bob Woolf was one of the NBA’s most iconic mascots.
Go the Gorilla of the Phoenix Suns, colloquially known simply as “The Gorilla,” was inducted into the inaugural mascot hall of fame in 2005.
The longtime man in the suit received another hall of fame distinction from the World Acrobatics Society in Las Vegas during the organization's 30th anniversary celebration.
”[It’s an] amazing honor. My name is amongst the other greats of this acrobatic world. Nadia Comaneci, Olga Korbut, Greg Louganis, even Travis Pastrana is in this hall,” Bob Woolf said.
Scott Barclay, Arizona State University’s current men’s gymnastics coach and fellow hall-of-famer, nominated Woolf to the 2026 class.
In 1988, Woolf took over the the mantle of The Gorilla from the original performer Henry Rojas, who famously became the team mascot by accident in 1980, according to NBA lore.
The Gorilla performs a stunt at a Phoenix Suns game. The mascot is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most iconic in the NBA.
Over the next three decades, The Gorilla redefined the definition of a basketball mascot.
“The backflips, the acrobatics, that's my trademark that I brought to the NBA. And it really started a whole new generation of mascot," Woolf said.
In his time as The Gorilla, Woolf pioneered the trampoline dunk and kept his identity as the mascot a secret for years. The Gorilla became an icon of Arizona and the NBA at large.
Woolf stepped down from his role in 2021, but he says his time as the great ape will always be truly special.
"The double over-times and triple over-times and playoffs and finals, those were special," Woolf said. "But I honestly, truly really loved working one-on-one in smaller groups of fans. Just to create magical moments and times that they can hopefully remember forever."