Malika Andrews is the leading candidate to become ESPN’s lead WNBA studio host after the departure of Elle Duncan, sources told Front Office Sports.
No deal has been finalized, and a spokesperson for ESPN declined to comment.
The Athletic first reported that Duncan is poised to leave ESPN to become the face of Netflix’s sports studio coverage. Her time with ESPN is up at the end of the year. Duncan also hosts 6 p.m. SportsCenter with Kevin Negandhi and has been the lead anchor of ESPN’s women’s college basketball coverage, including the Final Four.
Andrews is a natural choice for the WNBA role as she already began hosting coverage of the league for ESPN last year, including on its opening night. She is the lead host of NBA Today and NBA Countdown, the latter of which is scaled back this season as ESPN is licensing Inside the NBA with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and host Ernie Johnson from TNT.
Andrews has also resumed her role as an NBA sideline reporter for ESPN this season.
It was not immediately known what ESPN’s plan is for women’s college basketball or 6 p.m. SportsCenter after Duncan departs.
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