ABC7's Rob Fukuzaki celebrates 30 years with Eyewitness News

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Thursday marked a special milestone for our own Rob Fukuzaki. He celebrated his 30th anniversary with ABC7 -- a career that began in 1994.

"I am so thankful, and really, I'm so grateful. If you told me back in 1994 that I would be celebrating in 2024 my 30th year I would say 'I just want to get to 1995," said Fukuzaki. "I mean, I was so nervous coming from Hawaii, and I'm so grateful to my parents first of all because growing up I wanted to become a sports broadcaster and there was nobody that looked like me that did this, but they encouraged me, never discouraged me. Kind of times like these I really, really miss my mom a lot because she was my number one fan."

"And thank you to my wife Sharil and Maverick, my son, for all of their love and support. My wife is so understanding because my schedule can be just crazy and hectic at times. She's like 'Can we plan something?' I'm like 'I really can't right now,' he continued.

Rob Fukuzaki is the weekday sports anchor for ABC7 Eyewitness News, as well as host of special sports programming.

Born on July 4 in Torrance, but raised in Hawaii, Fukuzaki became the first male Japanese-American TV anchor in Los Angeles local TV News.

He began his broadcast career for Top 40 radio station KXPW in Hawaii. Soon after Fukuzaki began working part-time for KITV in Honolulu doing sports reporting.

Since joining ABC7, Fukuzaki has done a great deal of work for the community, hosting charity events and emceeing benefit dinners. In 1996, he founded the Heads Up Youth Foundation, of which he is the chairman and his wife Sharil is the executive director. The goal of the foundation is to help disadvantaged youth in Southern California.

In 2016, Rob was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

A very well-deserved congratulations and here's to many more years!