As ESPN prepares to add the TNT-produced “Inside the NBA,” the network is staying the course on its own NBA studio coverage, which will continue to be hosted by Malika Andrews.
ESPN announced Tuesday that it has reached a multi-year contract extension with NBA anchor Malika Andrews, who will continue in her current roles hosting “NBA Countdown,” “NBA Today” and the NBA Draft. Andrews will also resume a sideline reporting role, returning to a position she held prior to becoming a studio host in 2021.
The extension comes as Andrews will cede her position on the biggest ESPN/ABC games. Starting this season, ESPN will air the TNT-produced “Inside the NBA” studio show adjacent to marquee game windows, including Christmas Day, the conference finals and NBA Finals. Andrews had hosted the past two NBA Finals for ABC.
But as “Inside” will not air every week, the Andrews-hosted “NBA Countdown” will still regularly precede games throughout the regular season. In an interview with Bryan Curtis of The Ringer over the summer, ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said that Andrews would remain busy throughout the season even with the addition of “Inside.”
That includes the Draft, which she has hosted the past four years.
Andrews, who this season added a hosting role on ESPN’s “WNBA Countdown,” has been with the network since 2018. She served as ESPN’s NBA Finals sideline reporter as a last-minute replacement for Rachel Nichols amidst controversy in 2021, and then replaced Nichols as the network’s daily NBA studio host later that fall.
The rest of the “NBA Countdown” cast is unclear. It is believed that Stephen A. Smith will take a step back from the show. Other regulars include Kendrick Perkins and Bob Myers, who along with Andrews and Smith formed ESPN’s lead NBA Finals studio last season. Chiney Ogwumike has also been a regular contributor.
