Malika Andrews is one of ten people deemed “Group 1 Reporters” by the NBA. The ESPN reporter is already quarantined at her hotel at Walt Disney World. She spoke to Front Office Sports’s Michael McCarthy about the experience.
“I’m not going to lie. I was nervous. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. I have bouts with anxiety,” Andrews told McCarthy about first being presented the opportunity to cover the restart of the NBA season. “But first and foremost, I cover sports. I love journalism first. And sports journalism is what I do. This is an incredible journalistic opportunity. There are only 10 reporters and a handful of other folks who are going to be able to experience this and document it first-hand. It’s documenting history.”
She says that upon arrival at her hotel, she was greeted by the eerie sight of rides inside Disney World’s Magic Kingdom running with no one on them.
Malika Andrews will be used across Disney platforms as the NBA works its way towards a restart. She will provide reports from inside the bubble for SportsCenter, Get Up!, and ABC’s Good Morning America.
“I keep getting asked if I’m bored? The answer is absolutely not. There’s so much reporting to be done; my days are just packed,” Andrews said.
She is only allowed to travel between practice sites and her hotel. She must wear a mask and gloves outside of her room, and Andrews gets tested for Covid-19 daily. The league is also having her wear “a social distance monitor/buzzer that reminds wearers to stay socially distanced six feet apart. She also inputs her body temperature and pulse rates every day into an NBA medical app.”
Comparisons between the NBA bubble and prison make Andrews bristle. She admits that being cutoff from your social circle for three months is not ideal, but the bubble has very little in common with being locked in a prison cell.
“The food is pretty delicious. The league has been accommodating about getting gym equipment to my room. I don’t know what prison comes even close to having that sort of accommodations. Not just for players, but for the staff and media as well. So it’s a silly comparison to call it a prison.”
Andrews also doesn’t seem to be too worried about burning out on her surroundings. She told McCarthy that when the pandemic is over, she has made plans with her mother and sister to visit Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.
