Two-Time VUU Graduate Receives NBA Internship

June 14, 2023

Devon Sims, a two-time VUU graduate and athlete, recently accepted a summer internship in New York with the NBA through the 2023 inaugural NBA cohort and HBCU Fellowship program. Sims joins the NBA League Office as their League Finance intern. 

"I'm thrilled to be able to grow my professional career in sports and finance, and I can't think of a better place to do that than New York," said Sims. 

Sims looks forward to learning transferable skills and gaining knowledge to help develop his career professionally. He also plans to build relationships with leaders and his counterparts while participating in the internship program this summer. 

Sims graduated with his Bachelor of Science in May 2022 with a double major in Accounting and Business Management while playing on the men's basketball team. He graduated again in May 2023 with an Executive MBA from VUU while playing his last year of college basketball. 

Sims is also studying for his CPA license and plans to return to VUU to pursue his doctorate. 

Sims shared his excitement for the internship opportunity and thanked those that helped him along this process. "Thank you to the NBA, Children's Defense Fund, and Fearless Dialogues for this amazing opportunity." 

"I am forever grateful to Virginia Union University and current professors and mentors for helping prepare me for this experience. Special thank you to Bria Townsend, Marshall Forney, Amal Yamusah (MAP), Vince Pierson (BSBA), Dr. Robin Davis, and Jessica Gilbert for believing in me and helping me develop my professional skills," he added. 

For the future, Sims plans to work for KPMG, one of the BIG 4 accounting firms in the world, in August as a federal auditor in Washington, D.C. Sims also acknowledged his mentor Wendy Lewis, a VUU alum and Partner at KPMG, who inspires his career path as a professional accountant and leader.