Overview
- Multiple outlets reported and Bontemps confirmed that he left ESPN and officially joined the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, as a strategic adviser.
- The team says Bontemps will work on the basketball side and report to president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh, with a stated focus on roster construction, trade mechanics and team strategy, while contract details have not been released.
- Bontemps covered the NBA for ESPN since 2018 after spells at the Washington Post and New York Post, and he acknowledged the move on social media and on The Hoop Collective podcast.
- The hire fits a recent pattern of franchises recruiting journalists and analytics-minded media figures for front-office roles, following moves such as Kevin Pelton to the WNBA and Royce Young and Mike Singer to NBA operations.
- For the Hawks the immediate impact could be sharper roster planning and trade work as they navigate a post-Trae Young era and the upcoming free-agency window, and the broader effect may be increased demand for media-trained analysts in team front offices.