Mark Tatum was appointed NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer on Feb. 1, 2014, following unanimous approval by the NBA Board of Governors. He joined the NBA in 1999 and is currently responsible for the NBA’s business operations, including leading the NBA’s international efforts. He also oversees the Global Partnerships, Marketing, Communications and Team Marketing and Business Operations departments in addition to the NBA G League.
Since becoming Deputy Commissioner and COO, Mark has been instrumental in many historic initiatives including the first NBA game in Africa, the launch of seven NBA Academies around the world for youth and elite development, and the debut of the Jr. NBA Global Championship, a first-of-its-kind global youth basketball tournament. Additionally, Mark spearheaded the NBA’s groundbreaking jersey sponsorship program to feature corporate logos on team jerseys, established an entitlement partnership with Gatorade for the NBA G League, and secured a global merchandising and marketing partnership with Nike, making it the exclusive oncourt uniform and apparel provider of the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League.
In 2016, Mark was named to Forbes’ list of the Top 25 Most Influential Minorities in Sports. SportsBusiness Journal named him to its list of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business in 2014 and 2015. For three straight years (2006, 2007 and 2008), he was also honored by the SportsBusiness Journal with a Forty Under 40 Award, making him an entrant into the publication’s Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame.
Mark sits on numerous boards including USA Basketball, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, LA 2028 Summer Olympics, and the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors. He is Chair of the Harvard Business School Club of New York and a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a national organization that empowers African-American corporate leaders to make impactful contributions.
He received a B.S. in Business Management from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University.