Sam Smith, the highly respected NBA columnist whose career has spanned more than quarter of a century, is being honored as the inaugural winner of the Phil Jasner Lifetime Achievement Award by the Professional Basketball Writers Association, the group announced yesterday.
Smith, who has covered the NBA since 1983 and is now the columnist for Bulls.com, will be honored tonight during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final between the Bulls and Miami Heat.
Jasner, a longtime Sixers beat writer for the Daily News, died in December. The Jasner Award is presented by the PBWA to a member of the organization for distinguished service to the craft throughout a career. Phil Jasner was the 2001 recipient of a lifetime achievement award.
