Malika Andrews will remain a focal point of ESPN’s basketball coverage for the foreseeable future.
ESPN announced on Tuesday that it signed Andrews to a multi-year extension. The Sports Emmy Award-winner will continue to host NBA Today, NBA Countdown, WNBA Countdown, and the NBA Draft.
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Andrews will also receive additional assignments as an NBA sideline reporter.
Andrews’ rapid rise at ESPN
BOSTON, MA – JUNE 15: Malika Andrews of NBA Today speaks with Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors during practice and media availability as part of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 15, 2022 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)Joe Murphy/Getty Images
Andrews joined ESPN as an NBA reporter in 2018 after covering the Chicago Bulls and other regional teams for The Chicago Tribune. Her role with the Worldwide Leader in Sports expanded while working the 2020 NBA playoffs at the Florida “bubble” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrews became ESPN’s youngest NBA sideline reporter that year. The University of Portland graduate began hosting NBA Today, a replacement for The Jump previously hosted by Rachel Nichols, in 2021. NBA Today remains a daily part of ESPN’s programming throughout the season.
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That same year, Andrews worked as a sideline reporter during the NBA Finals. She became the first woman to host the NBA Draft in 2022 and replaced Mike Greenberg as the new host of NBA Countdown in 2023.
Well respected in the media industry, Andrews won a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality – Emerging On-Air Talent in 2022. And that’s all before she turned 30 in January.
How could Andrews’ role evolve?
Andrews will return to host NBA Countdown, but the show may undergo some changes this season. ESPN will begin simulcasting Inside the NBA after TNT lost its NBA broadcasting rights.
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It remains unclear how ESPN will manage the two NBA studio shows. The beloved crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith could upstage the current ESPN production, which drew some negative reviews throughout the 2024-25 playoffs.
In the meantime, Andrews has also begun hosting WNBA Countdown during the ongoing WNBA postseason.
“There’s a palpable excitement right now around women’s basketball,” Andrews told PEOPLE’s Sean Neumann in May. “Being a part of that, there’s an energy – whether it’s when I go on set or when I’m going to a game – there’s just this palpable excitement and growth right now around the women’s game.”
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the Sports Media section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.