Two staples of ESPN’s NBA coverage may hit the open market later this year. As reported by Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel, Brian Windhorst’s contract is reportedly expiring this summer, while Malika Andrews is set to become a free agent in the fall, following the current NBA season. Unsurprisingly, ESPN hopes to re-sign both talents, who frequently appear together on the daily NBA Today show and NBA Countdown pregame show. Glasspiegel notes that this is a particularly advantageous time for on-air NBA personalities, with both Amazon and NBC enhancing their coverage of the league ahead of the new media rights deal starting next season.
It seems likely that Disney-owned ESPN will prioritize retaining Windhorst and Andrews, not only because they are among the best in their respective roles but also to prevent them from joining a competing league partner. Windhorst, who began covering the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer, joined ESPN in 2010 as part of the network’s “Heat Index,” covering LeBron James and the “Big 3” era Miami Heat. Since then, he has broadened his focus to the entire league, gaining a solid reputation for his reporting and analysis — just ask Donovan Mitchell — and developing opinions potent enough to make him a regular sparring partner of Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
As for Andrews, the Oakland native joined ESPN as a reporter in 2018, quickly climbing the ranks as an on-air talent. In 2021, she took over as the sideline reporter for the NBA Finals following the leaked audio controversy involving Maria Taylor, and she has been the network’s top NBA studio host since 2022. At just 30 years old, Andrews is both an established figure and a rising star in the industry. Glasspiegel reports that “several sports media insiders” believe she could eventually extend her broadcasting career beyond sports, following in the footsteps of Robin Roberts.
Whether this potential trajectory will influence her upcoming negotiations remains uncertain, but it is likely that ESPN and Disney will exert every effort to keep both her and Windhorst under contract. Until their deals are finalized, this story will be worth monitoring, particularly given the evolving landscape of NBA media coverage.
