The revolving door to ESPN’s maligned NBA studio has turned yet again, with Mike Greenberg out and Malika Andrews in.
Malika Andrews is replacing Greenberg as ESPN’s main NBA studio host, the New York Post reported Thursday, making her the network’s sixth-different lead host in just the past eight seasons. Sage Steele was the lead to start the 2016-17 season before being replaced midway through by Michelle Beadle, who lasted three seasons before being replaced by Rachel Nichols, who was replaced midseason by Maria Taylor. After the controversy that resulted in both Nichols and Taylor exiting ESPN, Greenberg was given the job.
The ESPN studio show has long held second-rate status as compared to Turner’s “Inside the NBA,” which has maintained the same core cast of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley since the 2000-01 NBA season. Even NBC’s NBA studio, which was never particularly acclaimed, had only three hosts over the course of the network’s 12-year run (Bob Costas, Hannah Storm and Ahmad Rashad). (Related: 20 Years of EJ, Kenny and Charles vs. the competition.)
There is no record of any “Big Four” sports studio show running through so many hosts in such a short amount of time.
Andrews, who hosts ESPN’s daily NBA studio show, had already hosted the pregame on days when Greenberg was off. It is not clear whether ESPN intends for Andrews to keep her prior responsibilities while adding Greenberg’s Friday, weekend and playoff roles.
In addition to Greenberg’s departure, ESPN’s NBA studio will also be without the laid-off Jalen Rose. ESPN is also debuting a new lead NBA analyst team this season after laying off Jeff Van Gundy and parting ways with Mark Jackson. ESPN will remain the NBA’s primary broadcast partner, carrying the league’s most important property in the NBA Finals, for at least two more seasons.
(News from NYP 8.9)
