Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, a native of Gary, Indiana, spoke out about his Cleveland as he promoted his “Crunchland Chips” during an appearance in Brecksville, Ohio, Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor wrote in a Saturday article.
“My face is almost everywhere around this city, so just try to keep a good image, try to keep a smile on my face, try to talk to and take as many pictures as I can with fans,” Garland said. “Just to show I’m here. I’m with them. I’m a regular human. I wake up every morning and put the same socks on. This just reminds me of home. It’s a blue-collar city. I’m from a blue-collar city. It’s cool to have those similarities and everybody welcomed me in.
“On the basketball court, it wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be right away. I got a couple backlashes from that. But after that, everybody just kind of welcomed me in with open arms and that’s when I really started calling it home. Everything felt comfortable. My family felt comfortable. I felt comfortable. That’s when the real love started to begin.”
Darius Garland’s “Crunchland Chips” brand was first revealed in early December. He partnered up with PLB Sports and Entertainment, a Pittsburg-based food company with a wide variety of athlete-themed snacks and more, to announce the release of the chips into Cleveland retail markets. Flavors include plain sea salt, barbecue and sea salt and vinegar.
“I love snacking on chips, so I was really excited when I was offered the opportunity to have my own line,” Garland said. “These are some of the most legendary chip flavors, and I’m excited to see it all come together.”
The 23-year-old guard returned to his home town to host the “Like Father, Like Son Camp” with his father, Winston, before the start of the NBA season in July. Darius Garland had agreed to a 5-year, $193 million extension with the Cleveland Cavs a few days before.