Billie Jean King sees Naomi Osaka as a force for good in women’s tennis at the moment, one whom she reckons has already helped break down plenty of barriers for female athletes.
Consistently one of the top earners in women’s sports in recent years, the four-time Grand Slam champion has been as shrewd off the court as she has been on the court, diversifying her portfolio with investments in Pickleball and starting her own sports agency, among other things.
The Japanese also turned Executive Producer for a documentary named ‘MINK!,’ which told the story of American attorney/politician Patsy Mink and her fight for gender equality in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Speaking in a recent interview with Boardroom, King referred to all those achievements of Osaka, praising her for continuing the fight by using her platform in a responsible manner.
“As the top earner in all of women’s sports these last few years I think Naomi Osaka has really done a lot to break down barriers for female athletes,” King said. “I know gender equality is especially important to her and I was very pleased to see her as executive producer on MINK! about Patsy Mink and Title IX.”
Billie Jean King also did not forget how much Naomi Osaka has done for Japanese tennis, becoming the first Asian No. 1 in the world and helping establish the sport in areas where it was previously not that popular.
“Naomi was very successful in using her amazing tennis to propel her career both on and off the court,” King said. “We can’t forget that she won four Slams, was the first Japanese player to win a major and was the first Asian No. 1.”
In the same interview, the Japanese’s long-time agent Stuart Duguid, who co-founded her production company – Huna Kuma – touched on their reasons for starting the company, stating that they sought out other brands who could make use of the platform to tell the stories they want told.
“If company X invests in the company, it also guarantees a minimum spend to activate with the company,” Stuart said. “Therefore, everyone’s a winner. They’re incentivized to use our production company to make the content and that will in turn help the value for them, which leads to a greater return on their investment.”
“It will tell stories that are self-aware and innovative at the same time” – Maverick Carter on Naomi Osaka’s Huna Kuma
Maverick Carter, the American businessman who is also one of the investors in Huna Kuma alongside Naomi Osaka, further expanded on the company in the interview, stating that the company was designed by and inspired by the former World No. 1.
Carter, therefore, fully believes in the ability of ‘Huna Kuma’ to tell stories that are both “self-aware” and “innovative” — two qualities he sees in Osaka as well.
“Hana Kuma is built for Naomi Osaka, designed by Naomi, and inspired by Naomi,” Carter said. “Which means it will tell stories that are self-aware and innovative at the same time, just like she is.”
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