Hawks dedicate media room to Sekou Smith

The Sekou Smith Media Room officially opened at State Farm Arena as the Hawks began their season Thursday against the Mavericks.

Smith died in January at the age of 48. He served as The Atlanta Journal-constitution’s Hawks beat writer from 2005-09. He later joined NBA Digital as a multimedia reporter and analyst. He also spent time at The Clarion-ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Indianapolis Star, where he covered the Pacers as the team’s beat writer.

The formal opening of the media room named for Smith is the last of several ways the Hawks honored him and his legacy.

The team launched an annual Hawks-nba Summer League internship earlier this year. Clement Gibson, from Jackson State University, Smith’s alma mater, was the first intern for the program. Each summer, a journalism or multimedia 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 properties. 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.

The team also started a Sekou Smith Award, which honors the player on the team’s roster who best represents himself and the franchise with professionalism and integrity in interactions with the media. John Collins was the inaugural winner of the award, announced in May, last season.

The Hawks publicly showcased the room during an in-game break Thursday, and TNT, which nationally broadcast the game, also featured a segment on the room.

COURTESY The Hawks officially opened the Sekou Smith Media Room at State Farm Arena on Thursday. Smith, who covered the Hawks for The Atlanta Journal-constitution and also worked for NBA Digital and Turner, died in January.