Monday, February 1, 2021

J-Speaks: The Passing Of A Respected NBA Journalist

 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.”

Information and quotations are courtesy of 10/16/2020 www.southbendtribune.com story, “Former South Bend Tribune Sports Writer and ESPN Reporter Vaughn McClure Dies at 48,” 1/26/2021 7 p.m. “NBATV Pregame Show,” presented by Car Max with Matt Winer, Candace Parker, and Grant Hill; 1/26/2021 7:30 p.m. “Los Angeles Clippers versus Atlanta Hawks,” on NBATV with Brian Anderson and Steve Smith; 1/27/2021 5:30 p.m. ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wibon; 1/27/2021 www.hitc/com’s “Who Is Sekou Smith’s Wife? Fans Honor NBA Reporter’s Family After Death,” by Kate Fowler; 1/27/2021 12:30 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Matt Winer, Candace Parker, and Grant Hill; 1/28/2021 5 p.m. ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” with Tony Reali; 1/28/2021 11:30 p.m. VICE TV’s edition “Cari & Jemele (Won’t ) Stick to Sports” with Cari Champion and Jemele Hill; 1/28/2021 1:30 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Chris Miles and Channing Frye; 1/31/2021 1:30 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” with Chris Miles, Sam Mitchell, and Dennis Scott; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Smith_(basketball); https://www.worldmeters.info/coronavirus/country/us/; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekou_Smith.

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