Considered among the most successful sports executives to come out of Hawaii, Jarinn Akana carved a unique path to success.
Akana grew up a basketball star on Molokai before becoming a standout point guard with Riley Wallace's Rainbow Warriors in the mid 1990s. Akana later went on to join several NBA franchises as an assistant coach and eventually entered the world of sports management.
Over the course of 16-plus years as a professional sports agent, Akana represented some of the NBA's biggest stars and brokered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of contracts. In part 1 of this 2-part episode, Akana reflects on growing up in Hawaii and his time at UH.
February 2nd, 2026, 10:30 pm
The Long Game with Mark Carpenter
Professional sports agent and former NBA assistant coach Jarinn Akana | Part 1
00:00
1h 16m
Published February 2nd, 2026, 10:30 pm
Description
Considered among the most successful sports executives to come out of Hawaii, Jarinn Akana carved a unique path to success.
Akana grew up a basketball star on Molokai before becoming a standout point guard with Riley Wallace's Rainbow Warriors in the mid 1990s. Akana later went on to join several NBA franchises as an assistant coach and eventually entered the world of sports management.
Over the course of 16-plus years as a professional sports agent, Akana represented some of the NBA's biggest stars and brokered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of contracts. In part 1 of this 2-part episode, Akana reflects on growing up in Hawaii and his time at UH.
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The Long Game with Mark Carpenter
In "The Long Game" video podcast, Mark Carpenter sits down with influential figures across the Hawaii sports community. Whether it's going down memory lane with former athletes who've ascended to the heights of their craft or meeting rising up-and-comers eager to build their legacies, this series will dive into their careers and lessons learned while having fun along the way.
