COVID-19: NBA Reporter Dies At 49

National Basketball Association (NBA) reporter and television analyst, Sekou Smith died Tuesday after a battle with COVID-19 at age 49.

Smith, a passionate fan of the Michigan Wolverines, mentored countless colleagues in the business as a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

He also was one of a handful of journalists who spent time inside the NBA's bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, to cover last season's playoffs, including the NBA Finals.

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The Turner Sports family mourns the loss of our very own, Sekou Smith.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/97mu4bylfA

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 27, 2021

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.

Those virtues, and many others, were reinforced in the outpouring of messages on social media following the news of his death.

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