Mark Tatum

Mark A. Tatum is an American sports and business executive who is currently serving as the incumbent Deputy Commissioner of the National Basketball Association under Adam Silver. Additionally, Tatum also currently holds the position of the NBA's chief operating officer. For his work in these capacities, Forbes has ranked him at No. 8 on its list of "Most Influential Minorities in Sports".[1] He is of Vietnamese and African descent.[2]

Career

Mark Tatum attended Cornell University, where he played collegiate baseball for the Big Red and was a member of the Quill and Dagger society. He graduated in 1991 and earned a bachelor's degree in business management and marketing.[3] He also graduated from Harvard Business School in 1998.

Prior to joining the NBA, Tatum worked as a marketing executive and sales manager for companies such as PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and The Clorox Company. His first work as a sports executive came as a member of Major League Baseball's Corporate Sponsorship and Marketing department. He made the move over to the NBA in 1999.

Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner, he worked as the league's Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships, where he managed the Business Development and Media groups. In this role, he collaborated with sports marketing executives from The Coca-Cola Company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Adidas, and Nike, among others, being in charge of NBA-themed promotions and advertising. He also negotiated many of the NBA's television deals with many networks (including ABC/ESPN and TNT). On February 1, 2014, Tatum was unanimously appointed Deputy Commissioner and chief operating officer by the NBA Board of Governors.[4]

Since then, he has continued his work in promoting and advertising the NBA, both domestically and internationally. As head of the league's business operations, he currently oversees the NBA G League (formerly the NBA Developmental League, or "D-League"), as well as global partnerships, marketing, and communications. He has been praised for his key role in the NBA's recent success abroad, particularly in China.[5]

As Silver's Deputy, Tatum also currently holds the duty of announcing second-round picks in the annual NBA Draft, as well as hosting the NBA draft lottery.

References
  1. Belzer, Jason. "The Most Influential Minorities in Sports – No. 8: Mark Tatum – pg.9". Forbes.
  2. http://asamnews.com/2014/05/21/nba-com-the-second-highest-executive-in-the-nba-is-asian-american/
  3. "Baseball Alum Mark Tatum '91 Named NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO". Cornell University.
  4. "Mark A. Tatum – NBA Careers". August 18, 2015.
  5. Ozanian, Mike. "Mark Tatum Talks About The NBA's Enormous Success in China And Its Impact on Team Values".
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