Chris Rooks

Former NBA League; Team Executive
Territory Team Leader, Rhinegeist Brewery

Christopher Rooks dedicated over a decade to the betterment of the NBA and its athletes, from the launch of the NBA G League, through various business development roles with NBA and WNBA teams along with 6+ years providing resources, services and opportunities to NBA players and their teams as a member of the League’s Player Development department. His work in community and player programs included off the court program creation and delivery, and player outreach and team counseling at NBA events including All-Star Weekend, Draft Night, Summer League, Rookie Transition Program, NBA G League Showcase, Post-Career Development boot camps, NBA Fit Clinics, Team Awareness Meetings and NBA Cares platforms.

In addition to player programs, Chris has an extensive background in sales, marketing, operations and game presentation. Prior to transitioning onto the NBA’s Community and Player Programs team, he was a member of the League’s Team Marketing and Business Operations (TMBO) in-house business development consulting team focusing on Corporate Sponsorship development after serving as a Corporate Sales Executive for the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx and Marketing Manager for the NBA G league.

Rooks’ additional sport administration experience includes working on the launch of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets as a client services account manager, as Director of Athletic Programming with Boston’s Scholar Athletes program and with Ohio State University Athletics Department as a Men’s Basketball Operations student manager. Student Athlete Academic Support mentor and Athletic Facilities Graduate Assistant.

He currently serves as Columbus Territory Team Leader for Rhinegeist Brewery (largest craft brewery sales operation in Ohio, 26th in the USA). Prior to attending Ohio State University for both his undergraduate and graduate school education, Chris was a student-athlete at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Chris has served on the Board of Directors for the National Pro-Am City Leagues, Inc., the Washington DC Pro-Am and he now volunteers a great deal of his time engaging in community service projects organized through his organization’s Charitble
Suds program and local nonprofit, Besa Community Inc.