ESPN’s Malika Andrews Adds Tennis to Portfolio

Malika Andrews will soon start bouncing between two different sports.

The 30-year-old ESPN host will begin leading ESPN’s broadcasts at the Australian Open. Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, a move that will see her toggling from NBA coverage to tennis over the course of a year at the Disney-backed sports outlet. Her tennis coverage will commence later in January, in Melbourne.

Andrews, who hosts “NBA Today,” “NBA Countdown” and “WNBA Countdown” along with ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Draft, signed a new contract with the unit in the fall. She is expected to work to broaden her portfolio — something other sports personalities are also doing. At NBC Sports, for example, both Mike Tirico and Maria Taylor play prominent roles in NFL and NBA coverage. At CBS, Jim Nantz is known for his NFL commentary as well as his coverage of the Masters. For a long while, he also supplied the main voice for CBS’ coverage of the NCAA March Madness tournament.

.Andrews made her debut as a sideline reporter at ESPN during the 2019-20 season. In 2021, at 26, she became the youngest sports broadcaster to host the NBA Finals Trophy Ceremony. She made history in 2022 as the first woman to host the NBA Draft. She has also appeared on “Good Morning America,” a staple of Disney’s ABC broadcast network.

Prior to joining ESPN in October 2018, Andrews worked as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and sits on the NABJ Sports TaskForce Scholarship Committee. Her younger sister, Kendra Andrews, covers the Golden State Warriors for ESPN.