Bontemps joins Hawks
Atlanta Hawks Appoint Former ESPN Writer Tim Bontemps as Strategic Adviser to Front Office
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Key Points
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Bontemps is a co-host of ESPN's Hoop Collective podcast, adding extensive media exposure to the Hawks’ front-office advisory role.
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He is described as the second hoops journalist to move into an NBA front office, following Mike Schmitz’s move to the Mavericks, underscoring a growing trend of media-to-front-office transitions.
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Bontemps’ career spans multiple major outlets: ESPN (since 2018), The Washington Post, and The New York Post, where he served as the Brooklyn Nets beat reporter before joining ESPN.
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Upon departure, Bontemps publicly thanked his ESPN colleagues and the Hawks organization in a post on X, saying, 'Thank you to all of my colleagues at ESPN for letting me live out my childhood dreams the last 7-plus years,' underscoring his positive transition.
The Atlanta Hawks have hired Tim Bontemps, a longtime NBA writer for ESPN, as a strategic adviser in their front office. Bontemps, 41, will report directly to Hawks president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh, according to KMJ Now.
Bontemps spent more than seven years at ESPN, co-hosting the popular Hoop Collective podcast and covering the NBA as a senior writer. He also previously worked at The Washington Post and The New York Post, where he served as the Brooklyn Nets beat reporter. In a post on X, Bontemps said, 'Thank you to all of my colleagues at ESPN for letting me live out my childhood dreams the last 7-plus years.'
Hawks Bet on Media Expertise to Drive Front-Office Strategy
Bontemps moves into a role focused on team strategy, player movement, and league trends. He brings a reporter's eye for how the NBA works from the inside out. His years covering the league gave him deep knowledge of how teams are built, how trades happen, and where the game is heading, according to The Sports Animal.
He is only the second journalist to move directly into an NBA front office. Mike Schmitz made the first such move when he joined the Dallas Mavericks. Both moves point to a growing trend: NBA teams now see media insiders as valuable strategic assets, not just outside voices.
Hawks Rebuilding Around Youth After Trae Young Trade
The Hawks finished last season 46-36 but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champion New York Knicks. That exit capped a major roster shakeup led by Saleh. Midseason, Atlanta traded star point guard Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, signaling a clear change in direction.
The team is now building around a younger core. Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson are seen as immediate contributors. Kingston Flemings is viewed as the long-term answer at point guard. Bontemps' role will be to help guide decisions around this new group as the Hawks try to build something lasting.
Bontemps Joins a Wave of Reporters Crossing Into Team Offices
The move is part of a broader shift in how NBA front offices are built. Teams are increasingly pulling talent from media, analytics firms, and other non-traditional backgrounds. Journalists who cover the league closely often understand player values, team dynamics, and trade markets as well as anyone inside a front office, according to Z93 Jamz.
Bontemps' wide network, built over years at three major outlets, gives the Hawks a direct line into league-wide information. His podcast, the Hoop Collective, reached a large NBA audience each week. That kind of visibility and connection could give Atlanta an edge in how they read the market and move on opportunities.
Saleh's Front Office Takes Shape With Unconventional Hires
Onsi Saleh took over as president of basketball operations and quickly reshaped both the roster and the front office structure. Hiring a well-known media figure like Bontemps as a direct report is a bold and unconventional step. It shows Saleh is willing to think differently about how to build a winning team, according to The Score 1260.
The Hawks enter the offseason with a clear identity: young, fast, and strategy-driven. With Bontemps advising on player movement and league trends, and a roster anchored by Daniels and Johnson, Atlanta appears to be laying the groundwork for a long-term rebuild rather than a quick fix.
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