Sitting in the locker room, a Phoenix Suns athlete prepares for an interview. He looks in the mirror, adjusts his jersey and then brushes his thick black fur.

Most Suns fans probably wouldn't guess that the soaring, flipping, dunking athlete in the gorilla costume recently turned 40, but this motivated, perfectionist performer and athlete isn't ready to give up the suit any time soon.

He's been the Phoenix Suns Gorilla for the past 17 years, and while he couldn't tell us his real name, he did tell The Times a lot about himself, from sharing the court with Jordan, Barkley and Nash to playing mascot at the NBA All-Star Game.

Talking with the man behind the mask, it is immediately apparent that this athletic performer is a walking anomaly. Rambunctious and energetic on the court, he's borderline shy in person, preferring to keep to himself and avoid crowds. But when the suit goes on, his personality is transformed into an award-winning, industry-recognized success.

Unnatural Selection

So did he ever expect to be an NBA mascot? "Absolutely not," the Gorilla says.

"Back when I was 15 or 16, the San Diego Chicken was really coming on the TV at baseball games. My parents told me that's something I'd be good at. I thought it would be fun but never seriously considered it."

The Gorilla now takes his job quite seriously. His creativity and athletic ability have made him one of the most innovative mascots in the NBA. "Growing up I dabbled in wrestling, football and basketball, but gymnastics was my forte. I pursued that with a passion," he said.

It was the ASU gymnastics team that brought him to Arizona in the first place. But even then, "I never really pursued becoming a mascot." It wasn't until 1988, as a senior, that he heard the Suns were looking for a new Gorilla. After laughing off the possibility, he submitted a haphazardly produced audition video just two days before the deadline.

"I was still attending school, coaching kids' gymnastics. It all kind of fell into place at the right time," he says of the days after a friend announced the Suns were looking for a new Gorilla.

"I was always good at spinning a basketball on my finger and juggling. All these odd things that didn't amount to anything added together on the video."

The Gorilla's tape made the top 20 videos, and he was called in for a personal audition. "I thought, boy, if they liked what they saw there, I could really put together something fun."

Apparently, the Suns weren't set on keeping the Gorilla as their mascot. Clowns, musicians, a cactus and other performers filled the floor where the Gorilla competed for the final auditions. "It was like a circus," he says.

After a successful performance, the Gorilla was especially worried about the in-person interview, where he felt his shy nature might turn the Suns off.

"I'm a very quiet and reserved person, mellow. I'm not the wound up, happy-go-lucky person I am in the suit. They didn't realize a quiet person could have a sort of alter-ego," he says.

Surviving and Fittest

Seventeen years later, he may well be the highest paid gorilla in the world. "I make a really good living at doing what I enjoy," he says, preferring not to specify an exact salary amount. "Anyone who's been in the business makes a good living," he adds. "Kind of like a ballplayer, I feel like I'm getting compensated very well for what I love to do."

The Gorilla has been voted the best NBA mascot and entertainer of the year numerous times. He is considered one of the top two mascots in the NBA.

At a recent game he became the first NBA mascot to jump a Harley-Davidson on a basketball court, and he did it with the assistance of Evel Kneivel himself.

It has been that kind of innovation that has set the Gorilla apart. Never content to simply walk around in a costume, he designs his own stunts, builds his own props, and devises every skit, dunk, jump and crowd-pleasing antic he performs. And he does so with an insistence on perfection.

Pleasing the Crowds

In addition to performing at Suns games, the Gorilla performs at numerous other events, including fundraisers and school functions. During the season he may go only two or three days in an entire month without working.

He says he spends almost two hours a day personally maintaining his gorilla suits, which must be cleaned between performances.

When he's not washing suits, he's planning routines down to the last detail. If he needs a new trampoline, he buys it. If an ear falls off a costume, he sews it back on. If he wants a confetti gun, he orders it himself. All this has become second nature, which wasn't always the case.

"That was the most nerve racking moment of my life, stepping onto that court the first time," he says of his first 1988 performance. "The pressure was amazing because the character itself was here eight years prior to me. I had some big shoes to fill," he says. "I didn't know a lot about NBA basketball. I was a very nervous young man."

And fill those shoes he did. "Trying to win over the fans those first three years was a big obstacle," he says. These days the Suns Gorilla maintains universal appeal with fans of all ages. "There are some mascots that adults don't like," he says. "From my perspective the Gorilla is well-loved, from the kids to the adult ladies and males."

The Missing Link

Growing up in Montana, the Gorilla never imagined he'd someday work as a mascot. But aside from his marriage and the births of his children, the man in the mask cites becoming the Suns mascot as the biggest turning point in his life. It's almost like the job was created for him.

When out of his suit, the Gorilla spends his time with his wife and three children or enjoying the outdoors. As for career movement, he says, "Honestly, I wouldn't want to be any other character in the NBA. I know all the other guys on all the other teams. The Suns are the best for taking care of their character."

And has the 40-year-old performer considered retirement? "I haven't really thought about it. I realize that the fun has to end sooner or later. There was a San Antonio character who worked 25 years plus. As an entertainer I know I can work a lot longer. The physical aspect will get tougher, but I definitely want to ride this new team out for the next three to five years. I haven't looked at retirement too seriously," the Gorilla says.

The Gorilla would love to sit and talk about making kids smile, hanging with NBA pros and crafting new stunts. But today, he has to get going.

He has some fire hoops to design.