Two staples of ESPN’s NBA coverage could be hitting the open market later this year, with Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel reporting that Brian Windhorst and Malika Andrews’ current contracts with the Worldwide Leader are set to expire following the current NBA season.
Windhorst’s deal is reportedly up this summer, while Andrews is currently slated to become a free agent in the fall.
Unsurprisingly, ESPN is hopeful to re-sign both Windhorst and Andrews, who routinely appear on-air together as a part of NBA Today and the NBA Countdown pregame show. Glasspiegel, however, notes that this is an especially advantageous time for on-air NBA talents with both Amazon and NBC building out their respective coverage teams ahead of the league’s new media rights deal that will go into effect next season.
Nevertheless, one would imagine that the Disney-owned network will prioritize re-signing both Windhorst and Andrews in the coming months. Not only are both talents two of the best in the industry in their respective roles, but keeping them at ESPN would also prevent them from winding up at a competing league partner.
After previously covering the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer, Windhorst arrived at ESPN in 2010 as a part of the network’s “Heat Index” covering LeBron James and the “Big 3” era Miami Heat. He has since expanded his coverage to the league at large, earning a strong reputation for both his reporting and analysis — just ask Donovan Mitchell — and giving opinions strong enough to become a regular sparring partner of Stephen A. Smith’s on First Take.
As for Andrews, the Oakland, California, native joined ESPN as a reporter in 2018 before quickly ascending as on-air talent. In 2021, she replaced Rachel Nichols as the sideline reporter for the NBA Finals following the leaked audio controversy involving Maria Taylor and has served as the network’s top NBA studio host since 2022.
At just 30-years-old, Andrews is simultaneously an established and rising star in the industry. Glasspiegel reports that “several sports media insiders have independently told FOS” that she could have a future in broadcasting that extends beyond sports, following in the footsteps of Robin Roberts.
Whether that’s something that will factor into her upcoming negotiations remains to be seen, but the expectation appears to be that ESPN — and Disney — will do everything they can to keep her and Windhorst under contract with the company. But until they officially re-up, this will certainly be a story worth monitoring, especially considering the shifting nature of the current NBA media landscape.