ESPN takes Rachel Nichols off NBA coverage, cancels her show

A leading sports anchor and her show were axed after a private complaint about an African-American colleague was leaked.

ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols. Picture: WSJ

ESPN removed Rachel Nichols from its National Basketball Association coverage and canceled her show, a decision that comes a month after a report surfaced in which she criticized a colleague’s role at the network.

The network said Wednesday that Ms. Nichols would no longer report from the sidelines of NBA games. Her weekday afternoon show, “The Jump,” would also be canceled, ESPN said.

In a tweet, Ms. Nichols thanked ESPN’s producers and crew, and said there would be more to come from her. “‘The Jump’ was never built to last forever but it sure was fun,” Ms. Nichols said in the Twitter post.

Ms. Nichols wasn’t immediately available for additional comment beyond her social-media post.

Got to create a whole show and spend five years hanging out with some of my favorite people ❤️ talking about one my favorite things 🏀 An eternal thank you to our amazing producers & crew - The Jump was never built to last forever but it sure was fun. 😎
More to come… pic.twitter.com/FPMFRlfJin

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) August 25, 2021

The move comes a month after the New York Times reported on a recording of a phone call last year by Ms. Nichols in which she complained about how the job of anchoring “NBA Countdown” telecasts had gone to another ESPN personality, Maria Taylor, instead of her.

“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world. 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,” Ms. Nichols said in the July 2020 call, according to the Times. Ms. Nichols is white; Ms. Taylor is Black.

Ms. Nichols had apologised for her remarks during “The Jump,” saying she was deeply sorry for hurting Ms. Taylor. She was later removed from reporting from the sidelines of the NBA Finals. Ms. Taylor, meanwhile, exited the network shortly after that report, and after she and ESPN failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension.

My life has been made #44 @POTUS44pic.twitter.com/kmOJTRlljN

— Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) February 21, 2019

ESPN’s move on Wednesday comes after the network recently said David Roberts, its head of NBA production, would oversee the production of all NBA programming, including talk shows and regular-season and playoff games. The change in Ms. Nichols’s role is part of Mr. Roberts’s push to shake up NBA coverage at ESPN, with further changes to come, a person familiar with the matter said.

“We mutually agreed that this approach regarding our NBA coverage was best for all concerned,” Mr. Roberts said. “Rachel is an excellent reporter, host and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to our NBA content.”

Although Ms. Nichols is stepping aside from her program and reporting from the NBA sidelines, she remains under contract with ESPN for at least another year, the person familiar with the matter said. She is unlikely to appear on other sports programming, although nothing has been officially decided, the person added.

“The Jump” is on hiatus, but the person familiar with the matter said it has a few more episodes remaining in which Ms. Nichols won’t serve as host. The show will later get a new title and host, the person said.

WSJ