Malika Andrews on ‘Untrue’ Criticisms of Her Coverage of Black Players

Malika Andrews has cleared the air and addressed the criticisms regarding her coverage of Black athletes, particularly in the NBA.

During a sitdown conversation with DeMar DeRozan on his new show Dinners with DeMar, the NBA Countdown and NBA Today host reflected on the rumors that fans have conjured up that she's biased when covering Black NBA stars.

Throughout her tenure with ESPN, Andrews has made some interesting criticisms of Black athletes and their off-the-court issues. One of the first was her on-air argument with Stephen A. Smith about Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka having an extramarital affair with a team staffer while he worked for the Boston Celtics.

Andrews also made headlines when covering Charlotte Hornets' Brandon Miller being involved in a shooting incident and her perceived lack of interest in fully reporting on the Chicago Bulls' Josh Giddey being accused of having sexual relations with an underage girl.

According to Andrews, the rumors of her being biased with her coverage of NBA stars couldn't be any further from the truth. Andrews said she does her best to lead with empathy when covering the NBA, but she is also aware that there is a job that has to get done, which isn't to drag these athletes through the mud as most people think.

"You've heard me say this before. I always say I'm going to be two things. I want to be accurate, and I want to be fair," said Andrews. "And if I'm not one of those two things, you might not always like me, but this is my number. Please call me, and people have called and they've said that. I also say that oftentimes, especially before I'm talking to folks about something that is sensitive or tough because these things come up, and it is hurtful."

She continued, "I think that's okay to say sometimes it hurts even if it doesn't matter, if it is someone who is credible or someone with a big platform or if it's someone in their mom's basement just firing off a post. Sometimes it is hurtful when that seeps through, particularly for me when it's not true, right, and that's been the hardest part for me sometimes is stomaching the falsehoods, particularly, you know this, you hate Black men or think that. That couldn't be farther from the truth, and using my family or the way that my family looks as some sort of evidence of that and that is just untrue, and it's just unkind. We all have jobs to do, and I try to do my best to show up every day in a way that you guys know what I'm about."

Trolls have used Andrews's mixed-race family background to fuel their beliefs that she's out to get Black NBA stars. Her marriage to fellow ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin, a white man, amplified people even more, too.