Sports PR Summit Announces Recipients of 2026 Sports PR Lifetime Achievement Awards

Longtime Sports PR Executives Mike Bass and Mary Scott to be Honored on June 17

Washington, D.C. – The Sports PR Summit and Monumental Sports & Entertainment today announced that longtime NBA executive Mike Bass and senior sports communications executive and educator Mary Scott are the recipients of the Sports PR Summit Lifetime Achievement Awards.

“Mary and Mike have had outstanding careers filled with excellence and built on the foundation of forging long lasting relationships. I am pleased that we can honor their contributions to the sports PR industry with a Lifetime Achievement award,” said Brian Berger, Founder of the Sports PR Summit. “Most people who work in PR operate behind the scenes, but I am happy that we are partnering with Monumental Sports & Entertainment, to shine the spotlight on Mary and Mike’s accomplishments.” 

Bass and Scott will receive their Lifetime Achievement awards at the Sports PR Summit’s upcoming in-person event on June 17 in Washington, D.C. presented by Monumental Sports & Entertainment. Both will participate in an on-stage discussion about their careers and how the sports PR industry has evolved.

“Mary and Mike’s influence extends far beyond the moments and messages they have shaped — they have helped define the profession itself while mentoring and elevating generations of communicators who follow in their footsteps,” said AJ Jones, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategic and Corporate Communications Officer at Monumental Sports and Entertainment. “They are the standard for excellence in sports communications, building careers defined by integrity, leadership and lasting impact. It’s a privilege to join Sports PR Summit in honoring two individuals whose contributions have left an enduring mark on our industry.”

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she played field hockey and captained the lacrosse team, Mary Scott has held senior leadership positions at the NFL, Edelman and United Entertainment Group, where she served as the first-ever President of Global Integrated Communications. She has provided strategic counsel to some of the world’s most influential brands, leagues and athletes throughout her career, managing award-winning national and global campaigns including across the Olympic Movement for 20 years.

In 2021, she transitioned into academia, where she has served as an Associate Professor of Strategic Communications in the Montclair State University College of Communication and Media and Adjunct Professor in the Global Sports Business Master’s Degree Program at Rutgers University. Mary currently serves as senior career advisor and professor at Columbia University Sports Management Master’s Program,  driving overall career programming and events, as well as student and alumni career counseling.

As NBA Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, Bass oversees all public relations, including basketball and business communications, for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League on a global basis.  He supervises the league’s communications functions, including basketball media operations, media relations, marketing, corporate and digital media communications, crisis management and internal communications.

During his tenure with the NBA, Bass has served as a principal spokesman on all league matters and has led communications strategy for the NBA’s most important business issues, including the league’s last three Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, the last four national media agreements and its vast digital and global initiatives.

Bass joined the NBA in September 1997 and spent time as Director of NBA Entertainment Communications, where he helped develop a department solely dedicated to public relations for the league’s production and new media division.

Prior to the NBA, Bass worked for the CBS television network where he was charged with publicizing the network’s mini-series, movies, specials and event programming.  He began his career at New York-based public relations and management firm Dan Klores Communications, representing primarily clients from the sports, media and healthcare industries. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

ABOUT SPORTS PR SUMMIT

Launched in 2013, the Sports PR Summit is an invite-only event that brings together senior PR executives from the pro and collegiate sports ranks as well as from top sports corporations for panel discussions and valuable face to face networking opportunities. 

Prominent executives, media members and athletes share candid insights about the best ways for PR executives to work most effectively with them. Fellow PR executives also share best practices, discuss trends and ideate about the changing sports media landscape. Learn more about the Sports PR Summit at www.sportsprsummit.com. 

ABOUT MONUMENTAL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Monumental Sports & Entertainment is one of America’s leading integrated sports and entertainment companies and is ranked as one of the most valuable globally. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit www.monumentalsports.com.