Malika Andrews has come a long way since her early reporting days. Over the years, she’s become one of ESPN’s most familiar faces, especially for NBA fans. From leading NBA Today or holding down the fort on NBA Countdown with that steady voice and calm presence, Malika has become a staple for the fans. She’s only 30, but she already feels like a veteran in the game. Lately, though, there’s been a shift, not in how she works, but in what might come next. Because while she’s still showing up on our screens, something major is ticking in the background: her ESPN contract is about to expire.
Though she’s one of ESPN’s brightest stars, her future with the company is still up in the air. According to Front Office Sports, “Andrews’ ESPN deal expires this fall,” which puts her in the free agency conversation. And she’s not alone. Brian Windhorst is in a similar spot, as both of their contracts remain unresolved. The silence from ESPN has people wondering, will they stay, or will they go? With media giants like Amazon and NBC circling, the timing feels more uncertain than ever.
Interestingly, Malika Andrews shared something unexpected recently. Taking to Instagram, she posted a behind-the-scenes photo from ABC’s Good Morning America on her story. In the shot, a GMA-branded mug and a sleek metal straw sit quietly on a glass table. Behind them, a bustling TV set hums with energy. The caption was bright and simple: “GOOOOOOD MORNING!! ”. Behind the Cup, teleprompters, screens, and crew members in action can be seen. It’s a perfect way to show the hustle and bustle of a studio during a broadcast.
This new gig isn’t just a guest spot; it could hint at a shift. According to reports, she’s to guest co-host GMA this weekend and GMA3 on Monday. ESPN’s spokesperson confirmed this move as part of a summer trial across networks under Disney. With ABC and ESPN under the same umbrella, this crossover feels natural. The morning show path has worked for others, like Robin Roberts. Could Andrews be next in line for that kind of leap?
As sports media enters its own version of free agency, Malika Andrews is clearly expanding her playbook. Whether she sticks with ESPN or explores daytime TV full-time, she’s keeping her options open. Wherever she lands, fans will likely follow. Because when Malika talks, whether courtside or on GMA, people tend to listen.
How Malika Andrews found healing in hooves and the silence of open fields
Before she became the poised voice of NBA coverage, Malika Andrews was learning how to survive in the desert. Years before ESPN, she was a teenager in crisis, pulled from home and placed into a wilderness therapy program. “I was crying and said, ‘I know I need help,’” she recalled. That single sentence carried the weight of years. And it began a journey that few would imagine behind her current polished on-camera presence.
The terrain was both physical and emotional. At Wingate Wilderness, Malika lived in tents, hiked with fifty-pound packs, and learned how to build a fire. She had one roll of toilet paper per week and no shoes at night. “You’re so focused on surviving, it doesn’t leave room for the overwhelming hurt I’d been feeling,” she said. But survival didn’t mean healing. Instead, she was moved to another treatment center, and then another. “I was a lost kid, but I wasn’t a bad kid,” she said. “Little me didn’t deserve that. I did deserve help.”
It wasn’t punishment that began to shift her path. It was Dante, a horse she met at the last school she attended. “Suddenly, I had something to pour joy into,” she said. That spark stayed with her, even when everything else seemed to unravel. When ESPN came calling, she showed up with the same determination she used to mount a restless horse. By 2020, she was quarantined inside the NBA bubble for 107 days. Two years later, she hosted the NBA Draft, becoming the first woman ever to do it.
Yet, even now, the work of healing is ongoing. “This is not a before-and-after story. We are all unspooling works in progress,” she said. Her time with horses like Dante, Val, and now Charlie Brown isn’t a break from life. It is life. It’s how she grounds herself in moments that don’t air on national television.
Even after ESPN, she continues to manage symptoms of mental illness. “Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, anger — they are shapeshifters,” she said. Her strength doesn’t come from escaping her past, but from living with it honestly. With her fiancé Dave McMenamin, by her side and riding boots never too far away, Malika Andrews is no longer surviving. She’s learning how to live fully, messily, and with grace.
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