Reporter Malika Andrews is getting her own show, replacing the time slot once reserved for ESPN host Rachel Nichols. The new show, “NBA Today,” debuts in October.
The line-up switch-up occurs while Rachel Nichols has been in hot water for controversial comments she made with an associate during a phone conversation. In the conversation, Nichols, who is white, implied that her co-worker Maria Taylor, a Black journalist, was chosen to lead last season’s NBA Finals coverage because of a need for diversity. After the conversation was leaked among ESPN staff, only the Black woman who allegedly shared the conversation with Taylor was punished: a two-week suspension without pay.
Unfortunately for Nichols, Taylor’s departure to NBC did not clear a path for increased hosting duties at the network. Instead, ESPN tapped Andrews to replace Nichols’ time slot.
“It’s an incredible time to cover the NBA — a league that is full of characters and stories that have resonance far beyond the sports world,” Andrews said in a company release. “Our goal every day is to deliver information and analysis to our viewers that can’t be gleaned anywhere else. I’m so excited to showcase the league and the talented reporters, analysts and insiders on our team.”