Hoops HQ Editor-in-Chief Seth Davis has been named a recipient of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2026 Curt Gowdy Print Media Award, the Hall announced on Friday.
The prestigious award — named after the late Curt Gowdy, a legendary sports broadcaster — honors “members of the print, electronic, and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.”
“To say I am thrilled, overwhelmed, humble, grateful, all those things, is a huge understatement,” Davis said. “When I got the call on Thursday from John Doleva, the Hall of Fame’s president, I told him that for the first time in my life I was actually speechless. Everything the Hall of Fame does is first class, and knowing I’ll be a small part of the 2026 induction ceremonies is truly a thrill. The best part is there are countless friends, family, bosses and colleagues who were with me on every step of this journey and can rightly take satisfaction knowing they helped make this happen.”
Davis is being honored alongside Brooklyn Nets play-by-play announcer Chris Carrino, Emmy-winning basketball analyst Mike Fratello, and the founder of China’s most watched sports TV channel (CCTV-5) Ma Guoli. They will be recognized during the 2026 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, which is scheduled for August 14–16 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Davis, who co-founded Hoops HQ in 2024, is an award-winning sportswriter and broadcaster, a best-selling author, as well as a motivational speaker, teacher, leadership coach and kindness evangelist. Since 2004, he has been a mainstay during studio coverage of college basketball and the NCAA Tournament for CBS Sports and Turner Sports. He also works for FOX Sports, Big Ten Network and The CW as a studio and game analyst.
Davis previously wrote for Sports Illustrated for 22 years and for The Athletic for six years. He is the author of nine books, including the New York Times best sellers Wooden: A Coach’s Life, which chronicles the life of longtime UCLA coach John Wooden, and When March Went Mad: The Game Transformed Basketball, which tells the story of the 1979 NCAA championship game which pitted Magic Johnson against Larry Bird. Davis’ 2023 book, Wake Up With Purpose! What I’ve Learned During My First Hundred Years, which he co-authored with Sister Jean, spent four weeks on the New York Times best sellers list.
In April 2023, Davis was inducted into the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, their three sons and their Goldendoodles, Clarence and Sadie.
Previous recipients of the Curt Gowdy Media Award include prominent college basketball figures such as Holly Rowe (2023), Hoops HQ contributor Debbie Antonelli (2024) and Clark Kellogg (2025).
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