Cutting the list to 40 was no small feat. The men and women who are on here are there for their intelligence, acumen, success, influence, promise and talent. And there is a lot of competition. While the age has an arbitrary cut-off, so does the number of people mentioned. It could have been much longer. The list is presented in alphabetical order. Dotun Akinwale, 34, Charlotte Hornets assistant general manager Akinwale came to the Hornets midway through the season as Jeff Peterson, the franchise’s new head of basketball ops, filled out his staff. Akinwale spent nine seasons in Atlanta, and left there as its vice president of player personnel. He’s now a part of the new braintrust in Charlotte, along with VPs Ryan Gisriel and Patrick Harrell, as the Hornets try to build out of an eight-year playoff drought. “He’s really, really good,” one opposing team’s top decision-maker said.