Rachel Nichols is returning to the spotlight. On Friday, she announced that she is partnering with Showtime Basketball in a multi-platform role.
Nichols will be a host and producer for Showtime Basketball. The network produces podcasts, docuseries and other shows.
In an official statement, Nichols expressed her excitement over this next chapter of her career.
“I’ve been so fortunate to live my dream job alongside some of the best journalists in the business for more than 25 years, and this new development deal with Showtime Sports gives me my most broad playing field yet,” Nichols said in a statement. “They’ve asked me to produce, create and host new sports programming across platforms, working alongside Hall of Famers, multiple guys with championship rings and an uber-creative team behind the camera. We’re going to have so much fun.”
Nichols last worked for ESPN. She left the company in January after comments she made in a private conversation surfaced in an article by The New York Times.
At that time, Nichols complained about fellow ESPN NBA reporter Maria Taylor hosting NBA Countdown.
“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. I just want them [ESPN] to go somewhere else — it’s in my contract, by the way; this job is in my contract in writing.”
Nichols will address her departure from ESPN on Showtime Basketball’s All the Smoke With Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
It’ll be interesting to hear what Nichols has to say.