Tennis player Naomi Osaka is starting a media production company in partnership with The Springhill Company, the media conglomerate of NBA star LeBron James.
The move by Osaka and his agent and business partner Stuart Duguid to collaborate with The Springhill Company is the latest business launch for the tennis star.
The Springhill Company is an entertainment production conglomerate co-founded by James and businessman Maverick Carter.
News of the launch comes after Osaka and Duguid co-founded athlete representation agency Evolve last month.
The new production company, Hana Kuma, will produce screenplay and non-fiction material, beginning with a The New York Times documentary about Patsy Mink, the first woman of color elected to Congress. According to a press release, the company will highlight “empowering” and “culturally specific” stories.
“The creators of Color have finally had a blast being equipped with resources and a massive platform,” Osaka said in the release. “In the streaming age, there is a more global view of content. You can see it in the popularity of television from Asia, Europe and Latin America that the unique can also be universal. My story is also proof of this.”
According to the release, Hana Kuma will receive production and strategic resources from Springhill Company. Hana Kuma has also partnered with crypto exchange platform FTX and health platform Modern Health.
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion. She recently said that she would not play Wimbledon for the second year in a row. The tennis star has not taken part on the tour since her first-round loss at the French Open last month.
