Rachel Nichols: ESPN removes host from NBA coverage and cancels “The Jump”

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David Roberts, ESPN’s senior vice president of production, said in a statement to CNN Business that the parties “mutually agreed that this approach in relation to our NBA coverage was best for all concerned.” .

“Rachel is an excellent reporter, presenter and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to NBA content,” she added.

The news about Nichols is notable not only because he is one of the NBA’s best-known hosts on the net, if not the entire sport, but also because he arrives a month after Nichols’ comments surround him, one of his co-stars. leagues and ESPN. in controversy.

In July, the New York Times published a striking story reporting comments Nichols made about another NBA analyst, Maria Taylor.
The Times reported a leaked recording of a private conversation from 2020 in which Nichols, who is white, says Taylor, who is black, was chosen to lead coverage of the NBA Finals of the last year due to the diversity efforts of the company.

Nichols then apologized live, saying that “I am deeply sorry, deeply sorry to have disappointed those I hurt, particularly Mary Taylor.”

Taylor has severed ties with ESPN after an extension of the contract could not be reached between the two parties, according to the network.

Nichols, who still has more than a year left on his contract, took a moment to thank his crew for “The Jump.”

“I had to create a whole show and spend five years hanging out with some of my favorite people, talking about one of my favorite things,” Nichols tweeted. “An eternal thank you to our amazing producers and teams: The Jump was never built to last forever, but it sure was fun.”

Nichols ended the tweet by saying, “More to come …”

The network’s NBA coverage looks set to be revised, especially considering ESPN announced two weeks ago that Roberts would lead the network’s NBA production.

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