Clint Capela receives Hawks' Sekou Smith Award
Clint Capela has been awarded the team’s Sekou Smith Award for the 2022-23 season.
The Atlanta Hawks have declared center Clint Capela as the winner of the 2022-23 Sekou Smith Award. This is an annual recognition given to the team player who exhibits the highest degree of professionalism and integrity when interacting with the media, thereby best representing themselves and the franchise.
A select local media panel chose Capela through a voting process. Tonight, during a pregame presentation, he will receive recognition. The presentation will also involve members of Smith’s family.
“Hawks Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Garin Narain has praised Clint for being accommodating, thoughtful, and candid with the media throughout the season. He highlighted Clint’s respect for the media’s role in providing coverage and telling stories to their fans. Narain acknowledged that there were numerous deserving candidates this year, but expressed excitement about honoring Clint.
In 2021, besides the award, the Hawks also paid tribute to Smith by renaming the media workroom at State Farm Arena after him and redesigning the space in his honor. Additionally, the team introduced an annual Hawks-NBA Summer League internship in Smith’s name the same year.
Between 2005 and 2009, Smith was the Hawks beat writer for the AJC, after which he became a multimedia reporter and analyst for NBA Digital. He also worked at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, MS, and the Indianapolis Star, where he covered the Indiana Pacers as their beat writer.
