History has a way of repeating itself. John Lashway brought nine years of National Basketball Association management experience with the Portland Trail Blazers to Toronto in 1995 to play a key role in the launch of the Toronto Raptors organization. Now, as president of the Hamilton Honey Badgers and executive vice president of strategy and communications with the Canadian Elite Basketball League, he has a key role in leading the launch of Canada’s national professional basketball league.
“There have been two defining moments for basketball in Canada—the creation of the Raptors and the creation of the Canadian Elite Basketball League--and I have had the privilege of being at the center of both,” Lashway says. “The Raptors provided the spark for unprecedented growth of basketball in Canada. The CEBL is fueling that by bringing professional basketball into four provinces this year and to others across the country in the near future, exposing our country’s many elite players to communities that otherwise would only see world class professional basketball on television. To have been a Canadian resident and citizen throughout the 24-year progression of that evolution has been very rewarding.”
“The CEBL is about access and opportunity for all to engage in the sport that we love. Every person, every business, every community group that may have a desire to engage in basketball should be able to do so in the ways that work best for them. The CEBL is a national movement that will further drive the skyrocketing participation rates that basketball has experienced.”
Lashway spent 22 seasons in senior management positions in the NBA, and 10 in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, serving as senior vice president of communications and community development with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. He led seven departments for communications, community development, and two charitable foundations, while accountable to a multitude of marketing and corporate initiatives. His combined experience in the boardroom and in the lockerroom is unsurpassed. He worked more than 1,000 games during his NBA career, 500 games during his NHL career, consulted to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the 2015 season, spent 10 years as an official scorer in minor league baseball, worked with 16 teams for five years at a major NCAA Division 1 program, and grew up competing in baseball, golf, cross country, and track and field.
In 2008 Lashway launched Lashway Consulting Group in his native Oregon and in Ontario. The firm continues to deliver brand development, communications, community engagement, and business strategies to clients across North America in real estate development, higher education, health care, sports, culture, recreation, entertainment, the performing arts, and not-for-profits. He has had the rare distinction of participating in the design, construction, and opening of seven major sports and entertainment venues.
“Growing up in a family where sports, political activism, and making a difference in the community were prioritized has enabled me to take on tremendous challenges and be comfortable working with a full spectrum of people,” Lashway says. “Helping individuals develop to be their best has been my calling, and that applies naturally to the CEBL where developing basketball players, officials, coaches, and front office staff is the daily mission.”
Lashway’s professional career began with a staff position in the athletic department at his alma mater, the University of Oregon. He served five years working with one of America’s most prominent men’s and women’s intercollegiate programs and
with Olympic athletes before joining the Trail Blazers as the second youngest communications director in the NBA. During his tenure with the Blazers, the team reached the NBA Finals twice and was consistently one of the top organizations in the
league. He was recruited to Canada in 1995 before the Raptors had players or coaches to help put together the organizational structure and introduce the team and league brands to an Ontario market that was unfamiliar with professional basketball.
When he’s not helping organizations and entrepreneurs develop their brands, Lashway enjoys spending time with his family and attending sports and performing arts events. He also enjoys teaming up with others to make history.
