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 host and writer. "Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league. "The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family," Silver said in a statement. In addition to his colleagues across the journalism industry, the tributes came from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, as well as Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy. Those virtues, and many others, were reinforced in the outpouring of messages on social media following the news of his death. Smith was universally beloved within the basketball world, both for the work he produced in his nearly two decades covering the sport and, more importantly, for being a kind and decent person, one with an ever-present smile and a wonderful laugh. Our deepest condolences are with his family and loved ones." "He was beloved by his Turner Sports and NBA friends and colleagues. His commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will miss his warm, engaging personality," Turner Sports said in a statement. "We are all heartbroken over Sekou's tragic passing. Smith is survived by his wife, Heather, and their three children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron. He went on to become a fixture in the NBA universe - first as a beat writer covering the Indiana Pacers for the Indianapolis Star and the Atlanta Hawks for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, before joining Turner Sports in 2009.įor more than a decade, Smith starred across all platforms for Turner, serving as an analyst for NBA TV, a writer for NBA.com and a host of the Hang Time Podcast. He was 48.Ī native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Smith went to college at Jackson State in Mississippi, before starting his career at the Clarion-Ledger in Jackson. Sekou Smith, a longtime NBA reporter and television analyst, died Tuesday after a battle with COVID-19. NBA reporter and analyst Sekou Smith dies at 48 due to COVID-19 All rights reserved.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Soccer remembered Grant Wahl, saying, “fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game, and its major protagonists: Teams, players, coaches, and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport.”ĪBC News’ Meredith Deliso and Stephanie Guerilus contributed to this report.Ĭopyright © 2022, ABC Audio. Hopefully I will not cough during this podcast. I basically canceled everything on this Thursday that I had, and napped and I’m doing slightly better but you can probably tell in my voice that I’m not at it at 100% here. Two days before his death, the journalist said on his podcast, “Fútbol with Grant Wahl,” that he had bronchitis and went to the medical clinic twice on Thursday, saying he felt better but wasn’t 100% back to normal. The spokesperson said Grant Wahl received medical treatment on-site before being transferred to an area hospital by ambulance. Grant Wahl, 49, was covering his eighth World Cip when he “fell ill” while in the Lusail Stadium media section during the quarter-final match between Argentina and the Netherlands, according to a spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the Qatar World Cup organizing committee. I couldn’t do it, for my own sanity,” Eric Wahl tweeted. She & her mother & sisters have gone to make the I.D. His brother, Eric Wahl, tweeted Monday that he was in New York with his brother’s body and was headed to the medical examiner for an autopsy. soccer journalist Grant Wahl’s body has been returned to the U.S., following his unexpected death last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar, according to his brother.
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