Sports Business Secrets
Season 3 || Episode 507
Today’s guest is Zac Ikuma, the General Manager of the Tokushima Gambarous, an expansion team in the Japanese B3 League! He is in his first season managing a professional basketball club after various roles in the sports industry. He has an extremely unique background for a GM, which is why I believe he will continue to thrive in this role!
Zac has done everything from TV production to on field reporting to stage acting to NFL commentary to professional baseball interpreter and much more in between. Before arriving in Tokushima, Zac spent the last 4 years as the Official Correspondent for the Washington Wizards.
Today we talked about:
Growing up in a bilingual family
How he got his first professional opportunity
How his acting career helps him in business
His time spent with the Washington Wizards
A breakdown of the Japanese pro leagues
All about Tokushima and his expansion team
How the ownership group supports the vision
GM responsibilities (and common misconceptions)
Team culture -- how they are building winning habits
Pros & cons of being relegated or promoted
Goals for Tokushima this season
and much more
Appreciate you tuning in. Hope you enjoy!
Full episode below:
Check out more about the Gambarous below:
Learn more about Zac's role with the Wizards in 2019:
Learn more about Japanese basketball in a previous podcast episode:
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