Sekou Smith

Sekou Kimathi Sinclair Smith (May 15, 1972 – January 26, 2021) was an American sportswriter who covered the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

Smith was married to his wife, Heather, with whom he had three children. Smith died of COVID-19 at the age of 48 on January 26, 2021 in Marietta, Georgia.

 Early life 
Smith was a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from Jackson State University in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in communications.JSU grad, NBA reporter passes away at 48 due to COVID-19 complications. WLBT. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.

 Career 
Smith covered college football, basketball, and baseball for The Clarion-Ledger from 1994 until 2001, during his university studies and after. Smith was an NBA beat writer for four years each at The Indianapolis Star and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He started working at Turner Broadcasting as a senior analyst for NBA Digital in November 2009. He also worked as the creator and author of Sekou Smith’s Hang Time Blog on NBA.com, a host of The Hang Time Podcast, and a Senior Analyst on NBA TV’s The Beat. Smith was one of the small number of journalists inside the NBA's bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida covering the 2020 playoffs and the NBA Finals.

Smith mentored many colleagues as a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

 References 

Category:1972 births
Category:2021 deaths
Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Place of death missing
Category:Writers from Grand Rapids, Michigan