It was already a tough day on Tuesday, Jan. 26 as one year ago last week was the one-year anniversary of the sudden tragic death of a future Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champion of one of the flagship franchises of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The day was even tougher one with the sudden passing of a proud member of the NBATV family, Michigan native, and former sportswriter in Indianapolis, IN and Atlanta, GA.
One week ago, Sekou Smith, senior analyst
for NBA Digital and Turner Sports Broadcasting for 11 years, and former NBA
beat writer for The Indianapolis Star from 2001-05 and The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 2005-09 passed away after testing
positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). He was just 48 years old. He is
survived by his wife Heather Pulliam, and their three children in daughter
Rielly and sons Gabriel and Cameron.
“We are heartbroken over Sekou’s tragic
passing,” Turner Sports said in a statement on the passing of Sekou Smith. “His
commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will
miss his warm, engaging personality. He was beloved by his Turner Sports and
NBA friends and colleagues. Our deepest condolences are with his family and
loved ones.”
The passing of the Grand Rapids, MI native
came on the one-year anniversary of the tragic passing of future Hall of Famer
Kobe Bryant, who along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others
who died in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles, CA.
Longtime sportswriter for The
Washington Post and co-host of ESPN’s daily show “Pardon the Interruption”
Michael Wilbon said at the close of Wednesday’s show that he and Smith were part
of a Zoom eulogy and few of their colleagues for former South Bend Tribune
sportswriter and fellow ESPN reporter Vaughn McClure, who passed away back in
Oct. 2019, also at age 48.
“Still not over that. And now we have to
deal with the passing of another dear friend and colleague Sekou Smith. Rest in
peace,” Wilbon said.
Smith’s journey began after graduating
from Jackson State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications in the
1990s.
In honor of Smith, Jackson State University
has started a scholarship in his name, the Sekou Smith Journalism Award at
Jackson State University which was tweeted @MasterTres last Thursday evening.
He first worked at The Clarion-Ledger
in Jackson, MS covering college football, basketball, and baseball from
1994-2001.
The news of Smith’s sudden passing really hit his NBATV family really hard, especially longtime colleague Matt Winer who during the NBATV’s pregame show before a matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers versus the Atlanta Hawks tried to hold back tears when describing the kind of person and journalist his colleague was.
Winer said that Smith, the creator and
author of the Hang Time blog on NBA.com, host of “The Hang Time Podcast” and a
Senior analyst on NBATV’s “The Beat” was a “journalist journalist” that had a
curiosity and skepticism that made him endearing to all that were in his
presence, while also being “endearingly cranky,” and always passionate about the
subject matter he loved the most, and would let you talk to him forever if you
would let him about sports.
“More importantly, a devoted husband and
father, and a great friend to so many of us around here,” Winer said. “Just a
great spirit about him. And if you couldn’t have a good conversation, fun
conversation with Sekou Smith, then you didn’t like talking.”
Smith is the latest in the nation to pass
away because of COVID-19, bringing the current total to www.worldmeters.into
454,024.
Many of Smith’s fellow sports journalist
colleagues expressed their feelings, sadness, and respect they had for Mr.
Smith and what he meant to the profession of sports journalism.
ESPN play-by-play analyst for the NBA and
college football and play-by-play analyst for the Sacramento Kings on NBC
Sports California tweeted @MarkJonesESPN, “Heavy heart today...We lost a good
brother to Covid. Sekou Smith of @NBATV and nba.com was a brilliant and
insightful writer, a positive dude. He’s gone home to be with the Lord.”
“The Athletic’s” and “The Stadium’s” Shams
Charania tweeted @ShamsCharania about Smith’s passing “Hard to Process,” adding
that he was “An impeccable human being. Rest in Peace, Sekou Smith.”
ESPN’s “The Undefeated’s” Marc J. Spears
tweeted @MarcJSpears, “Thank you for your brotherly friendship, humor, honesty,
and compassion. Glad we had a chance to tell each other we loved each other
three weeks ago. You were a gift to this Earth as a friend, father, and man
Sekou Smith. Rest in Peace to my brother. Prayers to your wife & family.”
Spears colleague Justin Tinsley, who he
called Smith a “great NBA journalist” and “a great personality.”
While he only met Smith a few times,
Tinsley said about Smith on Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” it
was the infectious personality, energy and presence that was very inviting. Though
it was painful to lose him, the way he treated the game by how he reported on
professional basketball with a high level of respect, nuance, and care.
“He left the game better than when he found it, and I think that’s what anybody would want to do in that situation,” Tinsley said about Smith’s impact as a journalist.
Sports reporter for The New York Times
Marc Stein tweeted @TheSteinLine, “Simply an honor to know and work alongside
@SekouSmithNBA. BELOVED beyond words by his colleagues across the league. This
saddest of days only gets sadder and harder. Sending as much warmth and
strength as we can muster to his family in this unspeakably difficult time…”
Smith’s former colleague at NBATV Stan Van
Gundy, now head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans used a sports analogy in
describing how good Smith was at his job calling him a “pro’s pro.”
He added on his Twitter page @realStanVG, “The
NBA community lost a great man today in Sekou Smith. While I’ve known him since
he was with the AJC but was lucky to work with him at NBATV. I got to know him
well enough to know 3 things-I was lucky to spend time with him, I wanted to
know him better and hew as a good man.”
The respect and condolences for Smith did
not just come from his co-workers at Turner Sports and journalism colleagues,
it was shown by the two teams he covered for the two newspapers of the hometown
NBA squads.
A moment of silence was held before
Brooklyn Nets versus Atlanta Hawks tilt last Wednesday night in remembrance of
Smith, who wrote for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as mentioned from
2005-09, before joining NBATV.
“The Atlanta Hawks organization is
heartbroken by the passing of Sekou Smith. The Hawks’ beat writer for the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution from 2005-09, Sekou provided our fans with honest and
fair coverage, sharing incredible insight on the team while establishing
himself as one of the NBA’s to personalities. He made Atlanta his home, continuing
his brilliant work on NBA Digital on TV and behind the keyboard telling the
stories of the league in his unique way. Sekou’s passion for the NBA and its
players was only outmatched by the pride and love he reserved for his family
and friends.”
“We send our condolences to his wife
Heather and their three children. He will be sorely missed.”
There was also a moment of silence to
honor Smith before the Indiana Pacers home contest versus the Philadelphia
76ers on Saturday night. Smith covered the Pacers as mentioned at the start of
the 2000s for The Indianapolis Star. Pacers officials also placed a
framed photo of Smith in one of the few spots in the revamped press area.
Many NBA players expressed through Twitter
about how sad they feel that Smith is no longer with us.
Phoenix Suns 10-time All-Star guard Chris Paul @CP3 tweeted, “Man today just got a little heaver…my condolences to Sekou’s wife, family, friends, and extended NBA family. What a kind and compassionate man we just lost.”
Five-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA
champion with the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson, who is out for the
season with an Achilles injury tweeted @KlayThompson, “Rip Sekou Smith. I used
to watch you on @NBATV nightly. Terrible news!”
Three-time NBA champion with the Miami
Heat and future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade @DwyaneWade, “I’ve never had anything
but positive interactions and conversations with Sekou Smith. Our prayers go
out to the Smith family. We lost a good one. Rest In Heaven.”
If there is one thing that the passing of
Smith and the countless thousands of others that have been lost in the past
year-plus because of COVID-19 is that life is short and that being able to tell
those the kind of impact they have had in your life or the kind of impact they
have had on you should be said in that moment and not until they are no longer
living.
Two people that Smith had an impact on
were a fellow Michigan native, and longtime colleague at NBATV, who played 14
years for the Hawks, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, New
Orleans Pelicans, and Charlotte Bobcats Steve Smith, who went to Michigan
State, and has known Sekou for over two decades.
During the pregame show on Tuesday, a picture
shown of Sekou, Steve and Allie LaForce from the NBA Restart in Orlando, FL
last season entitled “The Smiths.”
To put into context the kind of connection
that Steve and Sekou had, their sports conversations ranged from talking about
the NBA to the local sports teams in Detroit, MI from the Lions of the NFL, the
Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB), the Pistons of the NBA, and high school
hoops.
“This hurts,” Smith, who wore a blue suit jacket and gold tie and
light blue stripe shirt in honor of Sekou Smith said before calling the
Clippers versus Hawks game with Brian Anderson. “Just a special friend of all
of ours here at Turner Sports.”
“I learned so much from him, not only
about basketball but the game of life. We only disagreed about one thing, that
was Michigan State [Spartans] and Michigan Wolverines. And that’s why in honor
of him, I wear my blue and gold today and I say “Go Blue” to Sekou but special
condolences goes out to Heather his wife, his three children. And this one’s
for you my friend Sekou.”
Another former Michigan State alum whose
friendship with Sekou Smith goes back since she was 20 years old is former ESPN
broadcast journalist Jemele Hill, the host of “Cari & Jemele (Won’t) Stick to
Sports.”
During the Thursday edition of her show, Hill
echoed what many said of Smith that he was a great person.
She also talked about how when they see
the number of people who have died from the Coronavirus, that is aforementioned
454,024 individuals might be just a number on the screen or in a newspaper
article.
“Best believe as this pandemic rages, this
virus is getting closer and closer to us individually,” Hill said about losing
a good friend to this global pandemic. “And so, I just say this to people, but
I know we say it every time someone passes, ‘Tell your people what they mean to
you now.”
Last week was the one-year anniversary of
the sudden passing of future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash at
age 41. It was also a day that the NBA family and the sports journalism
community mourned the loss of Sekou Smith, who died suddenly after testing positive
for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
A family of Smith’s wife Heather lost her husband.
His three children in daughter Rielly and sons Gabriel and Cameron lost their
father. His NBATV family lost not just a colleague, but a great writer who
brought a nuance, personality, grit and focus as a writer, broadcaster, and podcaster.
Sekou Smith made a major impact that
earned him respect and appreciation from his colleagues at NBATV and those in
the sports journalism profession that left a lasting impact that will never be
forgotten.
“The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith,
a beloved member of the NBA family,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a
statement a week ago. “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, 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 three children, Gabriel, Rielly
and Cameron.”
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