NBA reporter and analyst Sekou Smith dies of COVID-19

(CNN) — Sekou Smith, a NBA reporter and analyst for more than two decades, has died from COVID-19. He was 48.

Smith worked for NBA TV and wrote for NBA.com since 2009.

“We are all heartbroken over Sekou’s tragic passing,” Turner Sports said in a statement. “His commitment to journalism and the basketball community was immense and we will miss his warm, engaging personality.”

Smith covered the NBA for more than two decades, including 11 years with Turner Sports, which, like CNN, is owned by WarnerMedia.

“The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family. Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

“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 children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron,” Silver said.

Smith started his career in journalism as a sports reporter at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1994, according to his Linkedin profile. He then worked four years each at The Indianapolis Star and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution before joining Turner Sports.

Smith is survived by his wife Heather and their three children Gabriel, Reilly and Cameron.