sports
Atlanta Hawks Hire Tim Bontemps as Strategic Adviser Reporting to Onsi Saleh
Former ESPN senior NBA writer Tim Bontemps joins the Atlanta Hawks as a strategic adviser reporting to president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh. Bontemps, 41, covered the NBA for 14 years before the move.
Jul 8, 5:23 PM·1m read2 sources
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Tim Bontemps has been hired as a strategic adviser in the Atlanta Hawks front office, which finished the 2025-26 season 46-36 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Bontemps will report to president of basketball operations Onsi Saleh. The 41-year-old covered the NBA since 2012, including the last eight seasons at ESPN where he focused on team strategy, player movement and league trends.
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Bontemps joined ESPN in 2018 after three years as national NBA writer for The Washington Post. He began his career in an entry-level role at the New York Post after graduating from St. Bonaventure in 2007 and was promoted in 2012 to Brooklyn Nets beat writer, a position he held for three years.
The Hawks finished the 2025-26 season with a 46-36 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Knicks. That season marked Saleh's first as the franchise's lead basketball executive.
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CorroborationLimited · 2 sources
