Sekou Smith Summer League Experience Intern (Basketball Communications)

Who are we:
A professional basketball team and state-of-the-art arena/entertainment venue that specializes in creating memorable experiences for each guest we interact with. Some of our favorite things are live sports, concerts, comedy shows, family shows, and most any other world-class event you can think of, and we’re looking for someone who shares the same interests. We live for the fast-paced world of sports & live entertainment, and as such, we work hard, run fast, execute flawlessly, and party it up when it all comes together. Lastly, we strive to deliver wonderful experiences that create lasting memories, and we prefer to surround ourselves with those who are the best at what they do.

Who are you:
An enthusiastic lover of sports, live entertainment, and people. You have true passion for engaging in meaningful interactions and creating memorable experiences for all guests. You strive to be helpful, engaging, and knowledgeable of all things Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. You enjoy being a part of an exciting and dynamic group, and you’re committed to continuously enhancing the productivity and effectiveness of your team. Lastly, you enjoy working hard and celebrating hard, and you’d be shocked if guests weren’t positively impacted by their interactions with you.

The Atlanta Hawks are proud to offer the Sekou Smith Hawks Summer League Experience. Named in honor of the former Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hawks beat writer and NBA Digital personality, who passed away on January 26, 2021 at the age of 48, the Sekou Smith Hawks Summer League Experience uniquely combines Smith’s passions, friendships and expertise to create a one-of-a-kind internship that focuses on providing real-world, highly-visible experience to a deserving journalism, broadcasting or multi-media student from a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) university or college. The SWAC is comprised of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) including Jackson State University, Smith’s alma mater.

To learn more about Smith, please read HERE.

In addition to the Summer League Experience, this position will also serve as the Hawks Basketball Communications Summer Intern.

The student will receive the following:

• An all-expenses paid trip to the NBA Summer League, including flight and hotel accommodations with a per diem for meals and incidentals.
• $20.00/hour
• The opportunity for their work to appear on Hawks.com and the team’s other digital properties and social media channels.
• Collaborative experiences with the Hawks Communications and Digital Content teams on feature assignments.
• Mentorship meetings with some of the most respected journalists in the NBA, including close colleagues of Smith.

Internship Summary:

The intern will work under the direction of the Basketball Communications team, reporting to the Director of Basketball Communications, working across a variety of areas such as journalism, PR and social media. The successful student-intern is a self-starter who is professional, eager to learn and ready for a fast-paced, hands-on experience. The ideal candidate will have a passion for basketball, strong writing skills and a vast knowledge of current sports media trends.  This energetic professional should exude confidence, possess excellent communication skills, demonstrate creativity, and be ready for a career-defining experience.

Responsibilities: 

• Draft feature stories for Hawks.com.
• Assist with creating social media and web content.
• Assist with media availability, player interviews and press conferences.
• Assist with the creation of all basketball communications materials, including press releases, NBA Draft materials, the annual Summer League media guide, preseason media guide and 2026-27 regular season media guide.
• Assist the basketball communications team in updating team records, team and individual statistics, as well as player bios for 2026-27 Hawks game notes.
• Handle administrative duties, including sorting player fan mail, processing confidential reports, tracking deadlines and taking meeting notes.
• Other basketball communications tasks and projects as assigned.

Requirements:

• Must be able to work in the Atlanta office from June-August 2026
• Must be able to travel to Las Vegas and available to work July 9-19, 2026.
• Must be a minimum of 21 years old by July 9, 2026.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.

If this opportunity looks exciting to you, please complete the application process. Go Hawks!