"NBA TV" Analyst Sekou Smith Passes Away Following COVID-19 Battle: Report

The sports world is mourning the death of an award-winning writer and reporter. According to multiple sources, Sekou Smith, 48, has passed away due to complications related to COVID-19. The NBA TV analyst was a prominent voice in the basketball world and the news of his death has elicited thousands of responses from those who worked with and admired him.

"The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family," the NBA said in a statement. "Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league." Smith spent two decades covering professional basketball and the last 11 working for Turner Sports. 

His friends and colleagues have flooded social media with praise and heartfelt condolences to Smith's loved ones. "Sekou Smith was the very best of us," tweeted ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "Smart. Funny. Unflinching. Full of good. A lot of days and nights on the road with him – Bubble, Finals, Olympics, wherever – and always this: Photos of his kids playing ball, or graduating, or leaving for college. Godspeed, my friend."

We offer our sincerest sympathies to his family at this difficult time. Read through a few tributes below.

[via]