Meet Primark’s First Sportswear Ambassador: Josh Denzel

From growing up in Highbury, half a mile from the Emirates stadium, to hosting the hugely popular Lions Den show during England’s 2020 Euro campaign and racking up gigs covering NBA All-Star games, we think he’s just about qualified to tackle the role as Primark’s sportswear ambassador!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Josh (@joshdenzel), here’s a little bit about him:

‘I'd describe myself as outgoing and energetic and I don't mind being the centre of attention! Job wise, I'm a presenter on a number of different TV shows and online shows in the sports and entertainment space.’

With such a prestigious portfolio under his belt, we got the lowdown on how he got into the world of sports presenting: ‘In a very random way! I looked up to Reggie Yates and sport was my passion so I decided it was something I was going to do and just attacked it with everything I had. I had a minimal amount of Snapchat followers, so I used to just do stories at Arsenal games off my own back, not for any brands - just trying to build up a following.’

‘Also my friend had a sports betting company, so we used to make videos for that where we reviewed the games. Someone saw it and sent it to LadBible who got in contact and offered me some freelance work. In regards to building up a rapport with sportsmen, I went to David Hayes' gym before the Tony Bellew fight and ended up becoming friends with him and just built it from there!’

From sports to style, we asked Josh what made him want to dip his toes into the world of fashion as Primark’s first ever sportswear ambassador:

‘First of all it's never been done! I feel like it's everything that I'm about, sports and fashion. When you mix these two worlds it's some of the best parts of the NFL and NBA. They have a fashion show pre-game where they walk from the coach to the stadium. It's all everyone’s talking about - it's the labels, the style, the swag, the individuality. So if I can add a little bit of that vibe to these Primark collections that's exactly what I want to do.’

‘Primark is somewhere I've shopped at my whole life. I was in the queue at the first store on Oxford Street and when I was in holiday mode I was all about the Primark plimsolls, the white t-shirts - it's a brand that's been close to me for a long time. Mix sports, Primark and swag - that's me!’

As our sportswear ambassador he’s had eyes on the collection before it drops in store, so it only felt right to ask him which pieces he’s set his sights on for his own wardobe…

‘Some of my favourites are the oversized Chicago Bulls jersey, the full LA Lakers tracksuit, and the combat trousers - these are things that I wear. I'm quite chilled, if I'm out and about during a busy day I want to be comfortable but looking good too.’

With 1.2M Instagram followers (@joshdenzel), Josh’s illustrious career has sky rocketed over the past year as he is quickly becoming a household name in the sports presenting world. With this in mind, we asked Josh to take us through his top three career highlights so far:

‘Number one would have to be hosting the FA's 'Lions Den' during the 2020 Euros, inside the England camp with all the boys. I was producing a live daily show for England's YouTube, Twitch and Twitter and interviewing each player. It was fantastic!’

‘Second would be hosting a show on Sky Sports NFL channel called 'Overtime', co-presenting with Hannah Wilkes. It runs down all the goings on from the week before with a special guest of note, like a Superbowl winner.’

‘Lastly, working with the NBA very closely has to be another highlight. I covered three NBA All-Stars games and interviewed some of the top players in the game, such as Stephen Curry.’

With athleisure emerging more and more as a predominant wardobe staple since the pandemic, Josh expressed just how key mens sportswear pieces are in his wardobe: ‘For me, fashion is how you express yourself, it’s an extension of your personality and athleisure and sportswear is so important to me! Especially with lockdown… I lived in tracksuits and I'm always looking for more comfortable but still fresh outfits. Something you can chill at home in but, if you get a call saying ‘let's meet at this restaurant’ and you're still looking good in that outfit, that's for me!’

Browse our range of NBA clothing at Primark for the latest sports staples.