The Hawks announced Friday that center Clint Capela won its 2022-23 Sekou Smith Award.
The award recognizes the Hawks player “who best represents themselves and the franchise with professionalism and integrity in their interactions with the media,” according to the team. It was named for Smith, who was the Hawks beat reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 2005-09 before joining NBA Digital as a multimedia reporter and analyst. He also worked at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, and at the Indianapolis Star, where he was the beat writer who covered the Pacers.
The Hawks also named the media workroom at State Farm Arena after Smith in 2021, and the team began an annual Hawks-NBA Summer League internship in Smith’s name in 2021.
Smith died in January 2021 after battling COVID-19.
A select group of local media members voted for Capela to receive the award. The Hawks are scheduled to recognize him Friday during a pregame presentation before the regular-season home finale. The ceremony will include members of Smith’s family.
“Throughout the course of the season, Clint has been accommodating, thoughtful and candid with the media,” Hawks Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Garin Narain said in a news release. “He has a respect for the importance of the coverage they provide and the stories they tell our fans. There were many deserving candidates this year, and we’re excited to honor Clint.”
Past Sekou Smith Award winners
2020-21 John Collins
2021-22 Kevin Huerter
Past Sekou Smith Hawks-NBA Summer League interns
2021 Clement Gibson (Jackson State)
2022 Cullen Davis (Alabama State)
About the Author
