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Malika Andrews has created history by becoming the youngest sports broadcaster to host the NBA Finals Trophy ceremony. ESPN appointed the 26-year-old as a replacement for host Rachel Nichols.
Andrews replaced Nichols after the latter came under fire for an alleged racial controversy. Nichols was largely criticized after audio recordings of the host making alleged racist comments against ESPN colleague, Maria Taylor surfaced online.
However, social media users appreciated ESPN’s decision to replace Nichols with Malika Andrews. The latter recently took to Twitter to share a clip from her interview with NBA champion and Milwaukee Bucks star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Malika Andrews is also the first African-American female reporter on ESPN to cover NBA sports events. She even holds the record for being the youngest sideline host in the 2020 NBA Bubble and after years of sideline reporting, the broadcaster has finally made it to center stage.
Meet Malika Andrews – the youngest host of the NBA Finals
Malika Andrews is an American reporter and sports journalist known for her association with ESPN and the NBA. She was born to parents Mike and Caren in Oakland, California on January 27th, 1995. She is currently 26 years old.
Andrews has been a basketball enthusiast since her childhood and grew up supporting the Golden State Warriors. She received a Communications degree fromthe University of Portland and served as a sports-writer, sports editor and editor-in-chief for the college newspaper, The Beacon.
The host began her journey at ESPN in 2018 as an online writer for the NBA. She started broadcasting for the network reporting for the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls. She also went on to cover the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks later in her career.
Last year Malika Andrews was one of the few reporters to arrive at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort.
She was present at the venue for the 2019-2020 NBA Bubble season. She also interviewed the leading draftees at the NBA draft last year.
As ESPN’s only African-American female reporter, Malika Andrews has been notably mentioned by the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists, among others.
She was also included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for the sports category this year. She recently earned an Emmy nomination for “Emerging On-Air Talent.”
At 26, Malika Andrews has already managed to launch a remarkable career in the industry. As the youngest broadcaster in the NBA Finals, Andrews has successfully added another historical record to her credit.
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