ESPN’s NBA coverage was marred by controversy this past postseason when The New York Times published a piece detailing longtime reporter Rachel Nichols’ recorded remarks about then-colleague Maria Taylor.
The fallout from that story led to Malika Andrews replacing Nichols as the reporter at the NBA Finals. Taylor would sign a contract with NBC Sports. And now, Nichols’ time at ESPN is essentially done.
According to a report from Sports Business Journal, ESPN is pulling Nichols off the air and canceling her daytime NBA show, The Jump. While Nichols still has at least a year remaining on her contract, the network will let that contract expire without featuring Nichols on any future programming.
ESPN Senior VP/Production David Roberts told SBJ of those plans:
“We mutually agreed that this approach regarding our NBA coverage was best for all concerned. Rachel is an excellent reporter, host and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to our NBA content.”
In Nichols’ comments, which were recorded during the 2020 Orlando bubble, she said of Taylor:
“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world — she covers football, she covers basketball. If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”
Outrage over those comments had brewed internally at ESPN and ultimately led to this final decision on Wednesday.
ESPN launched The Jump in 2016, which featured panel discussions comprised of current and former NBA players (and also saw Paul Pierce’s high-profile firing from the show). Nichols was in her second stint with ESPN, rejoining the network in 2016 from Turner after previously working with ESPN from 2004 to 2013.