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The Long Game with Mark Carpenter

The Long Game with Mark Carpenter

Written by: Hawaii News Now
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About this listen

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.

Hawaii News Now
Episodes
  • Professional sports agent and former NBA assistant coach Jarinn Akana | Part 2
    Feb 9 2026

    Part 2 of our conversation with Jarinn Akana dives in to his career as an NBA assistant coach and professional sports agent.

    Following his playing days at the University of Hawaii, Akana maintained close contacts within the basketball community and eventually landed a coaching position with the Dallas Mavericks.

    He went on to work with several other franchises before moving into the agency world, where he represented some of the league's top players and brokered millions of dollars worth of contracts.

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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Professional sports agent and former NBA assistant coach Jarinn Akana | Part 1
    Feb 2 2026

    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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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Major League Baseball executive Kurt Zwald
    Jan 26 2026

    Kurt Zwald is the senior director of business strategy and analytics for the Seattle Mariners.

    The East Honolulu native and Punahou alum recently joined the Mariners after nearly 15 years in a similar role with the Boston Red Sox.

    Before becoming a seasoned MLB front office executive, he got his start with Hawaii Winter Baseball in the mid-2000s.

    In this episode, he discusses the business of pro sports, the experience of working for a championship-winning franchise, and the life lessons learned throughout his career.

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    55 mins
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