Christian Shimabuku
Although I didn't move to Hawaiʻi until after high school, I have been connected to the Islands and followed Hawaiʻi sports my entire life. My father was born and raised on Oʻahu, and my family would come to Hawaiʻi for Christmas to visit his family members on an annual basis. Deep down, I always knew it's where I wanted to spend my life. The last 11 and a half years have only reaffirmed that.
I got my start in journalism covering sports for Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi, the student newspaper at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa. I was also a sports clerk/sports reporter at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for a total of about four years. After graduation, I interned at the Sporting News in Charlotte, N.C. in the summer of 2018 before returning to the Star-Advertiser. In November 2019, I joined KHON2 News in Honolulu as a digital sports reporter for five years.
The sports scene in Hawaiʻi as a whole is robust and at times, complex. I truly believe Hawaiʻi is home to some of the world's greatest people and athletes. Being able to tell their stories for the last decade has been an honor and a blessing. I can't wait to do the same for Aloha State Daily. Getting in on the ground floor for a new venture is something I always found intriguing and with ASD, it's something I'll be able to do for the first time. Additionally, ASD's commitment to journalism comes at a time where I believe it is more important than ever in our world to support local and quality journalism.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
Latest from Christian Shimabuku

Hawai‘i baseball eliminated from Big West Conference tournament
The Rainbow Warriors fell to Cal State Fullerton in Wednesday's tournament play-in game, ending their tenure in the Big West.
Christian ShimabukuMay 21, 2026

Hawai‘i Pacific University set to add women's flag football program
HPU will be the first college athletics program in the state to add flag football.
Christian ShimabukuMay 21, 2026

Hawai‘i baseball set for final Big West Conference tournament
The Rainbow Warriors will take on Cal State Fullerton in Wednesday's play-in game.
Christian ShimabukuMay 20, 2026

Moanalua wins 2026 HHSAA Division I girls flag football championship
Na Menehune staged a late, dramatic comeback to win its first state title in girls flag football.
Christian ShimabukuMay 17, 2026

Makana Wade coaches Le Jardin to first state title in boys volleyball
Makana Wade, the son of UH men's volleyball head coach Charlie Wade, led the Bulldogs to the HHSAA title in his first season at the helm.
Christian ShimabukuMay 17, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball standout Kristian Titriyski to turn pro early
Titriyski is forgoing his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility to turn pro in his native Bulgaria.
Christian ShimabukuMay 15, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball makes the rounds following national championship
The Rainbow Warriors and their coaches have made a bevy of public appearances since winning the 2026 national championship match on Monday.
Christian ShimabukuMay 15, 2026

Magdaleno magnificent again as Hawai‘i clinches Big West tournament berth
Working on short rest, UH's ace tossed his second one-hit shutout of the month, striking out 14 CSUN batters in a 4-0 win on Wednesday night with his family in attendance.
Christian ShimabukuMay 14, 2026

Hawai‘i baseball enters final Big West series aiming to clinch spot in conference tournament
The Rainbow Warriors need to win one of their three home games against CSUN this week in order to clinch a spot in next week's Big West tournament.
Christian ShimabukuMay 13, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball welcomed back home by loyal fans
The Rainbow Warriors arrived back on campus after winning their third national championship in six years.
Christian ShimabukuMay 13, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball wins national championship match over UC Irvine
After a slow start, the Rainbow Warriors won their third national championship of the decade and first since 2022.
Christian ShimabukuMay 12, 2026

The week ahead in Hawai‘i sports: HHSAA wraps up state championships
Four different sports will crown their state championships this week to wrap up the school year in high school sports.
Christian ShimabukuMay 11, 2026

Mililani breaks through to win first HHSAA baseball title
The Trojans defeated Pac-Five 1-0 in a pitcher's duel for the ages.
Christian ShimabukuMay 11, 2026

Shakas up: Hawai‘i men's volleyball advances to national championship with victory over rival Long Beach State
The Rainbow Warriors will take on UC Irvine in Monday's national championship match at 1 p.m. HST.
Christian ShimabukuMay 10, 2026

Hawai‘i softball eliminated from Big West tournament
Panita Thanatharn's debut season at UH ends at 30-20.
Christian ShimabukuMay 10, 2026

Legendary coaches Pete Carroll and Mack Brown to lead teams in 2027 Polynesian Bowl
The 2027 game will be the 10th edition of the high school all-star game, which is annually set in the Islands.
Christian ShimabukuMay 09, 2026

'Of course we take that personally': Hawai‘i men's volleyball set to battle Long Beach State in Final Four
A pair of upside down shakas gestured toward UH's fans in the most recent matchup between the 'Bows and The Beach has stoked the rivalry's fire.
Christian ShimabukuMay 08, 2026

Hawai‘i softball gears up for final Big West tournament
The Rainbow Wahine open up play on Thursday and could need as little as three wins to advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 2013.
Christian ShimabukuMay 07, 2026

Hawai‘i ace Isaiah Magdaleno racks up accolades after historic outing
In addition to winning Big West Pitcher of the Week, the Rainbow Warrior junior also earned awards from five national organizations in recent days.
Christian ShimabukuMay 06, 2026

The week ahead in Hawai‘i sports: Spring state championships abound across Islands
State champions in six different high school sports across multiple divisions will be crowned this week.
Christian ShimabukuMay 04, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball advances to NCAA Final Four with thrilling victory over USC
The Rainbow Warriors outlasted the Trojans in four sets in front of a sold-out Stan Sheriff Center crowd on Saturday night.
Christian ShimabukuMay 04, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball to host USC in national quarterfinals
The Rainbow Warriors will face the Trojans at 4 p.m. on Saturday with a spot in the Final Four up for grabs.
Christian ShimabukuMay 02, 2026

Hawai‘i Pacific baseball endures road gauntlet en route to PacWest contention
After a recent road trip in which it went 7-4 in 10 days, the Sharks can clinch a spot in the four-team Pacific West Conference tournament this weekend against UH-Hilo.
Christian ShimabukuMay 01, 2026

Hawai‘i women's volleyball program carries on with heavy hearts following Robyn Ah Mow's resignation
Former associate head coach Kaleo Baxter was named the program's interim head coach following Ah Mow's announcement to step down on Thursday.
Christian ShimabukuMay 01, 2026

Hawai‘i women's head volleyball coach Robyn Ah Mow resigns
Ah Mow released a statement on late Wednesday afternoon to announce her decision.
Christian ShimabukuApril 30, 2026

After embracing new coaching staff, Hawai‘i softball team emerges as serious Big West contenders
The Rainbow Wahine enter the final weekend of Big West regular season play with a chance to clinch a top 2 seed and bye in next week's conference tournament.
Christian ShimabukuApril 30, 2026

Wai‘anae's Max Holloway graces cover of EA Sports UFC 6
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira was named the cover athlete of the game's standard edition, while Holloway will be on the cover of the game's ultimate edition.
Christian ShimabukuApril 27, 2026

The week ahead in Hawai‘i sports: NCAA Tournament tickets in high demand
Tickets for the regional UH is hosting on the weekend began to go on sale on Monday morning.
Christian ShimabukuApril 27, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball set to host NCAA Tournament match
The Rainbow Warriors will host either USC or Belmont Abbey in the NCAA national quarterfinals on May 2.
Christian ShimabukuApril 27, 2026

Hawai‘i's Kansei Matsuzawa signs with Las Vegas Raiders as undrafted free agent
Matsuzawa signed with the Raiders in the immediate minutes following the 2026 NFL Draft and will look to compete for the starting job at kicker.
Christian ShimabukuApril 26, 2026

Hawai‘i water polo eliminated at NCAA Tournament
The Rainbow Wahine fell shy of their third NCAA semifinal appearance in a row, losing to California.
Christian ShimabukuApril 25, 2026

Led by international roster, UH water polo set for another NCAA Tournament run
The Rainbow Wahine, who take on California in Friday's NCAA quarterfinals, feature players from eight different countries and three different states.
Christian ShimabukuApril 24, 2026

Live demolition work continues at Aloha Stadium
The northwest bowl of Aloha Stadium was demolished on early Thursday afternoon.
Christian ShimabukuApril 24, 2026

North Shore reigns supreme at inaugural OIA surfing championships
Kahuku's boys team and Waialua's girls team took the team titles on Monday at Kewalo Basin.
Christian ShimabukuApril 23, 2026

Khalilah Mitchell introduced as new University of Hawai‘i women's head basketball coach
Mitchell, the ninth head coach in program history, was an assistant coach under the retired Laura Beeman at UH for seven seasons.
Christian ShimabukuApril 23, 2026

PGA Tour confirms exit from Islands in 2027
On Monday, the PGA Tour announced The Sentry will no longer be held on Kapalua. Meanwhile, the organization is exploring plans to turn the Sony Open from a PGA Tour event into a PGA Tour Champions event.
Christian ShimabukuApril 22, 2026

The week ahead in Hawai‘i sports: UH softball hosts final set of home games
The Rainbow Wahine are currently tied for third in the Big West standings.
Christian ShimabukuApril 21, 2026

Vladimir Kubr shines in his senior moment
The UH men's volleyball team's lone senior got his first Division I start on Saturday night and electrified the home crowd in the team's regular season finale, a four-set victory over CSUN.
Christian ShimabukuApril 19, 2026

Hawai‘i men's volleyball clinches Big West regular season title
The Rainbow Warriors will be the top seed in next week's conference tournament in Irvine, Calif.
Christian ShimabukuApril 18, 2026