NBA Reporter Sekou Smith Passes Away At Age 48

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Longtime NBA reporter and analyst Sekou Smith has passed away at the age of 48 due to COVID-19.

Sekou Smith was recently a reporter and analyst for NBA.com and NBA TV.

Before joining NBA.com and NBA TV, Smith started his journalism career after graduating from Jackson State, with the Clarion-Ledger before going to the Indianapolis Star to cover the Indiana Pacers. Then he was the Atlanta Hawks beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2009, he joined Turner Sports, where he was a reporter for NBA.com and NBA TV.

The Turner Sports family mourns the loss of our very own, Sekou Smith.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/97mu4bylfA

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 27, 2021

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement on Tuesday evening.

“The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family. Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league. He covered the game for more than two decades, including the past 11 years with Turner Sports, where he showed his full range of skills as an engaging television analyst, podcast host and writer. Sekou’s love of basketball was clear to everyone who knew him and it always shined through in his work. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Heather, and their children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron.”