Rachel Nichols removed from all ESPN NBA coverage and The Jump is canceled

She was technically foul…

Source: Mike Ehrmann / Getty

Most of us already saw the writing on the wall when ESPN pulled her from NBA Finals coverage but now, it’s official. According to NPR, Rachel Nichols has been canceled from all NBA coverage on ESPN and her daily show, The Jump, has been canceled as well.

This…transition (?) comes on the heels of Nichols’ inflammatory comments about Maria Taylor’s position at the company being based on some type of cultural mea culpa as opposed to her talent and skill set.

“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 in the recording. “Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”

The question now begs, if Rachel Nichols won’t be covering the NBA as she has for so long, doesn’t this mean she’s…fired? What else would ESPN have her do? Where could she transition that would make sense? Golf? Softball? Dog shows?? Only time will tell.

“We mutually agreed that this approach regarding our NBA coverage was best for all concerned,” David Roberts, ESPN’s senior vice president of production, said in a statement. “Rachel is an excellent reporter, host and journalist, and we thank her for her many contributions to our NBA content.”

No mention of Rachel’s future at the company. Interesting. If you’re ESPN, a company with a long and decorated track record of blowing layups, why drag this out any further? Rip off the band-aid and keep it moving.