The Atlanta Hawks have made three permanent and significant plans to honor Sekou Smith, the former Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat reporter who died last month.
⋅ The media workroom at State Farm Arena will be named after Smith. The Sekou Smith Press Room will open for the 2021-22 NBA season.
⋅ The Sekou Smith Award will be presented annually to honor the player who “best represents themselves and the franchise with professionalism and integrity in their interactions with the media. A plaque in the media workroom will display the name of each season’s honoree, and an on-court trophy presentation will be held including the winner and members of Smith’s family beginning at the end of this season.
⋅ The team will launch an annual Hawks-NBA Summer League internship in Smith’s name. Each summer, a journalism or multi-media student from a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) school will be selected to serve as the Hawks’ beat writer for NBA Summer League, and their work will appear on the team’s digital team properties, providing valuable experience and clips. In addition to covering associated travel costs, the Hawks will provide a stipend to the intern. The SWAC is comprised of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) including Jackson State University, Smith’s alma mater. The NBA Summer League is held in Las Vegas each year.
Smith, who died Jan. 26 at the age of 48 due to COVID-19 complications, served as the AJC’s Hawks beat reporter from 2005-09. He also worked at the Clarion-Ledger and as the Pacers beat reporter for the Indianapolis Star before coming to Atlanta. After leaving the AJC, Smith starred across all platforms for Turner Sports as an analyst for NBA TV, a writer for NBA.com and a host of the Hang Time Podcast.
The Hawks announced the tributes to Smith “in respect to his dedication to journalism, building relationships and mentoring young journalists.”
Smith is survived by his wife, Heather, and their three children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron.
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