Rachel Nichols has finally responded.
Live on air, the veteran reporter took some time to address the audio of her that was leaked out by The New York Times as she could be heard saying co-worker Maria Taylor got the job to cover the NBA Finals last season because she was Black.
Here she is:
The conflict originated when Nichols voiced frustrations over the phone to Adam Mendelsohn, adviser to LeBron James, about Taylor hosting the network’s coverage of 2020 NBA Finals.
“If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity—which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it—like, go for it,” Nichols said. “Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”