Malika Andrews is the face of ESPN’s NBA studio coverage, serving as the host of ESPN’s NBA studio show, NBA Countdown, as well as ESPN’s weekday NBA studio show, NBA Today (2021), covering the league nationally. In 2022, she made history as the first woman to host the NBA Draft. Her work has appeared across multiple ESPN platforms including ESPN.com, SportsCenter and ESPN Radio. Andrews made her debut as a sideline reporter during the 2019-20 season at the ESPN World of Sports Complex in Florida, serving throughout the NBA Playoffs and becoming one of the youngest sideline reporters ever for a Conference Finals telecast. Andrews was one of the first reporters on site to cover the NBA’s temporary Florida campus after the league’s decision to resume the season following a four-month hiatus due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Prior to joining ESPN in October 2018, Andrews spent a year at The Chicago Tribune covering the NBA in the Midwest – in particular reporting on the Chicago Bulls and other regional teams. That assignment gave her experience on beat reporting, getting to know players, coaches and the communities around the teams. Her work there came after a year as a James Reston Reporting Fellow in the sports department at The New York Times.

Highlights from her newspaper career include traveling to Lake Tahoe as part of a team of journalists that reconstructed the events between Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels. She also reported on the impact of the Sonoma County wildfires on the equine industry during fall 2017. Additionally, Andrews has covered a Super Bowl and examined how the Larry Nassar sexual assault case affected children’s gymnastics.

A native of Oakland, Calif., Andrews attended the University of Portland, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and graduated with honors. While at the University of Portland, Andrews served as the editor-in-chief of The Beacon, the university’s student newspaper. She received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for her work. In 2016, Andrews won the Best Writer Award among Oregon college students.

Andrews is a multiple Sports Emmy Award honoree, winning Outstanding Personality – Emerging On-Air Talent in 2022 and earning a nomination in 2021. She was also nominated in 2024 for Personality/Studio Host. In addition, she was honored with the 2021 NABJ Michael J. Feeney Emerging Journalist of the Year Award. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and sits on the NABJ Sports Task Force Scholarship Committee.