As the Emmy-winning host of ESPN’s NBA Today and NBA Countdown, Malika Andrews has become one of the most recognizable and authoritative voices in sports media. Since joining the network in 2018, she has reported from the NBA bubble in the early days of COVID, made history as the first woman to host the NBA Draft, and led viewers through high-pressure, emotionally charged moments — sometimes literally as the ground shook beneath her, like during a live-on-air earthquake.
Behind the camera, Andrews is equally thoughtful and driven. Raised in Oakland and now based in Los Angeles, she juggles a packed production schedule, cross-country travel, and long workdays that often stretch into the night. When I reach her by phone, she’s driving home to catch the tipoff of Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami, multitasking in the slivers of space between meetings, rehearsals, and two live shows — a routine that encapsulates the nonstop pace of her world. And with the NBA Playoffs officially underway, that pace is only intensifying. Andrews lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Dave McMenamin. Here’s how she gets it done.
On a typical morning:
I try to get up at 6 a.m., but I tend to get up at 6:30. I immediately put on my fluffy robe and go turn on my coffee machine before I do anything else, to leave it to start doing its goodness, while I go and splash water on my face, brush my teeth, and try to wake up a little bit. By the time I go back into the kitchen, voila, the coffee is ready for me.
On structuring her workday:
I have our NBA production call from 7 to 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. I hop on the call, and we go over the show for the day, knowing that a bunch of things can change between 7 a.m. and noon Pacific, but that’s where we start laying the groundwork. Then on Tuesdays and Fridays, I go to the gym … On Mondays and Wednesdays, I do Pilates — Solidcore, which technically they can’t claim that they’re Pilates, but it’s like a strength Pilates offshoot.
On doing it live:
We’re live at noon. We have a 1:15 p.m. post-show meeting every day to regroup and talk about the next day’s NBA Today. On Wednesdays and Fridays, I shift my focus after that to NBA Countdown. I sit with the producer and I begin writing that show. Then we’re live typically at 4 p.m. We are in the office together all day long. We have so much collective shared history. But a lot of it is long hours in the office. The first game typically tips at 4:30, the second game tips at seven our time, and we roll on through till the last game. I typically leave on those days at 9/9:30-ish.
On creating time to recharge:
I’ve found that ‘Just Do It’ isn’t just the Nike catchphrase. It’s also how you create time for yourself. The Mel Robbins five-second rule where it says, Okay, in five, four, three, two, one, I’m just gonna do it … I found myself having tons of pockets of fifteen minutes, some pockets of thirty minutes. If you add all of this together, all of a sudden you have two hours. It’s an intentionality that I found, and there’s nothing that makes me happier than riding my horse, Charlie. When I’m in the car, sometimes I will make phone calls. A lot of the time, it’s also my podcast time. I found I’m happier when I take a couple of minutes just to laugh.
On the people who help her get it done:
I don’t have an assistant. I have a really wonderful team — PR, social media, producers, my fabulous stylist. For a long time I was a newspaper writer. I have a one-man band mentality and opening up my routine to other people and asking for help is something I’ve had to work on. I have the best husband. I have the most wonderful friends. I have a great team. It took me a little bit to let people help, sort of shoulder all of the juggling.
On a professional high point:
Hosting the NBA Championship trophy ceremony in 2021 was one of the coolest and most rewarding assignments. Standing on the court when players are reaching the top of their sport — there’s just pure, raw emotion. I asked Giannis Antetokounmpo about his family and he just let out this roar. It was incredible.
On ambition:
I’m competitive. I try to get one percent better. You know, it sounds really cliche, but I feel like that’s where I try to challenge myself — how can I be 1 percent better in this area that I’m really interested in, or learn more about a topic, or do this interview 1 percent better?
On managing stress:
The noise can get loud. I fully believe in and go to therapy. I think k it’s important to remove the stigma from that. Everybody needs somebody to talk to. I don’t know that there is a tip or trick or shortcut to silence the loudest and scariest of voices in our heads. For me at least, it is a constant and intentional approach. It is not a quick trick. It is a life choice to take care of yourself.
On what grounds her:
I read a book. I typically listen to audiobooks in the car, and I’m usually reading one or two hardback books. Currently, I’m reading The Tell, by Amy Griffin, and The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah.
On trying to get into home cooking:
I’m not very good at creating time to cook, and it’s something that I would like to do more of. But I find even if I get home at the end of the day, I’m tired, or we don’t have the right ingredients. So my next frontier is doing more cooking, because my mother is a fabulous cook and she makes these delicious home-cooked meals.
On how she celebrates her wins (and deals with losses):
I love a good slice of cake. That is my celebratory choice. Carrot cake, cut me a fat slice. None of these little slivers. Sometimes it’s a Chantilly cake when it’s been a rough time, the one with the berries. When I’m having a rough day, I always go to the barn. If I can just get to the barn for a half hour, that is what I want to do when I’m having a tough time.
On her relationship to money:
I watched my mother balance our checkbook when I was a kid. My mom made sure to bring me to the bank and equip me to be able to have money conversations. As an adult, there are things that I am learning about, especially investments. The things that we should have a class for in school, but typically don’t. But money was never a conversation in my family that was completely swept under the table. Open and honest dialogue was always encouraged, and I apply that now.
On self-doubt:
As a strong woman, people often look at me and say, “Oh, you’re fine.” But I have my own struggles. Who doesn’t? I mean, who doesn’t have a secondary voice? I’ve tried to say, “Girl, you are not invited to this party anymore.” I’m trying to not invite her to the function, and she still keeps showing up like, “Hey. I brought Schnapps.” And I don’t even like Schnapps. So of course, I have that secondary voice, and some days it’s louder than others. But that’s when you lean on other people and your tribe to help you separate that voice from the trust in who you actually are.
On the best advice she’s ever been given:
Oprah said to me: “Wake up every morning and ask yourself, ‘How can I be used in service of what is greater than myself?’” Ask yourself what it is that you can do for others, and everything that you want will come back to you. I believe in that boomerang effect.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Malika Andrews Is Doing It Live
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