During a week where Rachel Nichols has been blasted non-stop for a leaked audio of her speaking on ESPN colleague Maria Taylor, she likely won’t like what social media is doing to her now.
Twitter has started an insane rumor about the ESPN host getting with two NBA players in the Orlando Bubble last year. This wild and we must stress, unsubstantiated, rumor is that Jimmy Butler and Rachel Nichols got together in the NBA Bubble. Nobody has a clue as to how it started, but once people started waking up, they began to make jokes and tried to piece everything together.
It was back in July somebody complained of a consistent banging noise. Security was called to Jimmy Butler’s room because of constant dribbling in his room.
Clips obtained by the New York Times showed Nichols talking to Adam Mendelsohn, an adviser to LeBron James, while she was in the NBA bubble last July.
“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world — she covers football, she covers basketball,” Nichols said in one clip. “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. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.
“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 added.
On Monday afternoon, Nichols officially responded to the audio by apologizing on air. Nichols said, “So the first thing they teach you in journalism school is don’t be the story. And I don’t plan to break that rule today or distract from a fantastic Finals.” “But I also don’t want to let this moment pass without saying how much I respect, how much I value our colleagues here at ESPN. How deeply, deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I hurt, particularly Maria Taylor, and how grateful I am to be part of this outstanding team.”
Taylor’s ESPN contract is set to expire in roughly two weeks.
