NBA Player Tyus Jones a Bell Bank ‘Champion’

“Tyus is already such a great ambassador for the Twin Cities and the whole state of Minnesota, which are two of Bell Bank’s core markets,” says Michael Solberg, president and CEO of Bell Bank. “Tyus’s work with us will help build brand awareness, especially in our growing Twin Cities market. He’s a stand-up guy whose values really match up well with Bell’s.”

Currently in his fourth season in the NBA, Tyus was raised in Apple Valley, Minn., where he played on Apple Valley’s first-ever state basketball championship team and won three Gatorade Player of the Year awards. As a freshman at Duke University, Tyus led his team to the 2015 National Championship and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player before being selected in the first round of the NBA draft. He also has won multiple gold medals with Team USA.

In addition to his pro career and leading Team 1 Tyus, the Minnesota player is the sole NBA brand ambassador for the United Heroes League, which gives back to children of military families participating in sports. Tyus serves as honorary chair of the Best Preps Cloud Coach mentorship program, connecting ninth-grade students with corporate professionals. He also has developed an inspirational platform, “Write Your Own Story” (WYOS), that teaches kids to control the things they can control in life and work to be the best at whatever they choose. With WYOS incorporated into the technology labs of several local schools, Tyus plans to expand the program into more communities and schools in the future.

“Tyus has worked hard as a leader to elevate what he brings on and off the court,” says Michael Solberg. “We’re very excited to team up with him.”

Michael notes that the Bell Bank Champions role is not new to Bell, which sponsors professional golfers Tom Hoge and Amy Olson, as well as The Blenders holiday tour, among others.