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With Maria Taylor at NBC and Rachel Nichols retired from NBA job, ESPN needs a new host for their coverage of the NBA Finals next summer.
News came today that Malika Andrews is essentially replacing Nichols in October in a new daily NBA show that fills the void left when ESPN canceled The Jump. On top of that, Anderw Marchand reported in the New York Post’s SportsClicker newsletter ($) that there were several contestants for the final hosting gig, including Mike Greenberg.
Also NEWS on Mike Greenberg, who is a candidate to host the NBA Finals for ESPN. https://t.co/bqBYoYtXBr
– Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) September 20, 2021
According to Marchand, Greenberg is one of the few candidates, including Elle Duncan and Cassidy Hubbarth. Presumably there are more names as well, although Greenberg has always sort of functioned as ESPN’s utility host, appearing in places when there is a new vacancy. That included his work this year on the NFL Draft replacing incumbent Trey Wingo.
And if Greenberg wants the gig, it makes sense for his name to start, for example, appearing in reports like this. It’s similar when Adam Schefter’s name emerged as a possible third host for the new ManningCast; Given that ESPN and Peyton’s production company ended up going without a permanent third host, it’s obvious not everything that has been reported is indicative of the network’s thinking. (This doesn’t disparage media reporters either, of course. It’s just important to remember that if a name is there, it’s usually for a reason.)
Of course, there’s a pretty big reason why Greenberg would be a surprising choice for ESPN here. Yes, he hosted the coverage of the NFL Draft and he has a daily presence. Get up, and he has long been a face of the network across multiple platforms. But it is important to remember why this vacancy exists. After last summer’s PR disaster, with one Taylor leaving the network after it was revealed Nichols accused ESPN of giving Taylor hosting duties because Taylor is black and Nichols is not not, entrusting this gig to a white dude would set ESPN up for a huge (and, to be honest, fairly justified) backlash.
Considering Greenberg has plenty of other opportunities and ESPN has plenty of qualified candidates, it’s hard to see him end up on that stage next summer, although stranger things have happened.
[NYP SportsClicker]
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