On June 28, 2021 at Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN host Rachel Nichols goes on camera after the Phoenix Suns game versus the LA Clippers during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. Getty Images/Michael Gonzales/National Basketball Association A year later, ESPN took action. Following a backlash over her suggestion last year that her Black colleague Maria Taylor got a hosting gig for the 2020 NBA finals because of her race, the sports network announced on Tuesday that white NBA reporter Rachel Nichols will be benched from sideline coverage of the league’s finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns. ESPN’s decision came two days after The New York Times published a bombshell piece detailing the circumstances behind Nichols’ unintentionally recorded statements in July 2020, as well as the backlash they sparked within the Walt Disney-owned sports cable network. Nichols is said to have received no repercussions for her statements regarding Taylor during the call. Taylor will join other ESPN reporters on “NBA Countdown” for pregame and halftime coverage of the NBA Finals, according to ESPN. During the finals, Malika Andrews will provide sideline reporting, according to the network. During the NBA playoffs, Nichols was in charge of that task. Nichols, on the other hand, will appear on her show “The Jump” live from the finals “for weekday shows,” according to ESPN. The finals will be held in Phoenix on Tuesday night and will be televised on ABC. “We believe that in order to keep the focus on the NBA Finals, this is the greatest move for everyone involved. Rachel will keep hosting The Jump “In a statement released alongside the announcement of its finals coverage program, the network said. As she launched the show of “The Jump” on Monday, Nichols apologized for the uproar. “I also don’t want to let this opportunity pass without expressing how much I love and value our ESPN colleagues,” Nichols said. “How grateful I am to be a part of this team, and how truly sorry I am for disappointing those I have wounded, notably Maria Taylor.” The New York Times reported on Sunday that Taylor’s coworkers considered refusing to participate on “NBA Countdown” in May in protest over modifications to the show that they believed were made to benefit Nichols. On a phone call from her Florida hotel room on July 13, 2020, Nichols complained about Taylor giving Adam Mendelsohn, a longtime advisor to Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, the 2020 pre- and post-game finals host role. Because Nichols was unaware that she had failed to switch off the transmission from a camera in her room, the call was captured on a video feed to ESPN’s control center in Connecticut. Nichols intimated to Mendelsohn, who is white, that Taylor received the job because of her color during that call. “If you need to give her extra things to do because you’re worried about your dreadful long-term record on diversity — which, by the way, I personally know from the female perspective — do it. Simply look for it elsewhere. You’re not going to get it from me or take it away from me, “According to Nichols. In that call, Mendelsohn remarked shortly afterward: “I’m not sure. I’m completely spent. I’m out of ideas after Me Too and Black Lives Matter.” Nichols burst out laughing at his comment. Shortly after the video was delivered to Connecticut without Nichols’ knowledge, a clip of the call circulated within ESPN. Mendelsohn apologized for the remark in an email to CNBC on Sunday after being questioned about it. “I made a dumb, reckless comment rooted in privilege,” Mendelsohn, who co-founded James’ Black voter advocacy group More Than A Vote last year, said. In an email, Mendelsohn stated, “I shouldn’t have spoken it or even considered it.” “I try to assist these causes because I know that the people who are affected by these issues are never exhausted or run out of options. I need to keep my privilege in control and concentrate on becoming a better ally “Added he./n
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