Rachel Nichols' leaked phone call disparaging Maria Taylor roils ESPN

The New York Times

Last week, the New York Post reported that Taylor and ESPN were headed for a possible divorce over a dispute over "Stephen A. Smith money." That story may have been planted by ESPN to distract people from the real story: As The New York Times' Kevin Draper reported on Sunday, Nichols said in a private phone call a year ago this month with LeBron James' representatives that she believed her ESPN bosses were advancing Taylor at her expense. “I just want them to go somewhere else — it’s in my contract, by the way; this job is in my contract in writing,” Nichols said, referring to hosting coverage during the NBA finals a few minutes after saying ESPN was “feeling pressure” about racial diversity. "Unbeknown to Nichols, her video camera (in her hotel room) was on, and the call was being recorded to a server at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn.," reports Draper. "It is not clear why her camera was on, but most people at ESPN believe that Nichols, using new technology during a pandemic, did not turn it off properly. It was effectively the remote pandemic version of a hot mic incident. Dozens of ESPN employees have access to the company’s video servers as part of their normal work flow. At least one of these people watched the video on the server, recorded it on a cellphone and shared it with others. Soon, more copies of the conversation were spreading around ESPN, and within hours it reached ESPN executives..." The tape revelation led to Taylor to host NBA Countdown with the stipulation that Nichols not appear on the show. "In Taylor’s view, according to six people who have spoken to her, ESPN executives agreed to the stipulation but violated it almost immediately by allowing Nichols to make short appearances without interacting with Taylor," reports Draper. "ESPN declined to comment about the arrangement." Meanwhile, Draper reports that ESPN’s decision not to punish Nichols was still an “active source of pain” and discussion among co-workers. On Monday, Nichols apologized on ESPN's The Jump after telling The Times that Taylor has refused her texts and phone calls. Taylor declined to comment for the Times' article. Taylor's contract is expected to expire around July 20, according to The New York Post. Because of the pandemic, this year's NBA Finals could end with Game 7 on July 22. Meanwhile, Draper tweeted this morning: "The NBA Finals begin in less than 12 hours and ESPN has not yet announced their commentating and hosting teams, which is unusual."

• UPDATE: ESPN benches Rachel Nichols for NBA Finals coverage, but she'll continue hosting The Jump: Malika Andrews will take over NBA Finals sideline reporting duties from Nichols. "We believe this is best decision for all concerned in order to keep the focus on the NBA Finals," ESPN said in a statement.