Nichols said to the NBA's credit, safety within the Disney bubble has been routineNBAE/Getty Images
ESPN's Rachel Nichols has "helped define" NBA coverage all summer long, staying "in front of every major story, while also adding a human touch to the players and coaches she covers," according to a Q&A with Justin Barrasso of SI.com. Nichols "brings a level of professionalism and accuracy to her work at ESPN," and the NBA "benefits from her important role, as she delivers first-rate journalism for those involved in the game of basketball." Below are excerpts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for clarity and brevity:
Q: You have been in the bubble for almost the entire time since the NBA season restarted. What has your experience been like?
Nichols: One of the reasons I wanted to be sure to be right at the beginning was to watch how this giant experiment was going to unfold. It was absolutely fascinating to me. ... This was bigger than a basketball experiment or a sports experiment. It was a national experiment to keep people safe in the face of this virus. At the beginning, there was so much curiosity. To the NBA’s credit, safety in the bubble has been kind of routine.
Q: Merging together your personal and professional lives, you hosted "The Jump" on site each day in the bubble. How much did the preparation and execution of a daily show help keep you focused on work?
Nichols: I love that our show has been able to be that kitchen table to talk about this incredibly exciting time in the league, although obviously a very difficult time for our country. ... I admire the people that have gone the whole way through, because going home for me for even a couple weeks was a real big deal. I’ll be away for 11 or 12 weeks in total, depending on how long the finals go, which is a quarter of the year I’ll miss being with my kids.
Q: The NBA is usually always one step ahead in its milestones and memorials, but not honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her passing was a misstep. Why was she so important to you?
Nichols: For me, when you are a league that celebrates equality and really has equality as a core value, you need to take a minute to celebrate the icons of that equality. The NBA has done that so well, and here in the bubble, too, honoring civil rights activist John Lewis and Chadwick Boseman, who gave so much inspiration through the roles he brought to life. If you’re celebrating the icons of equality, those icons can’t be the people that only helped the men. There are so many women in the inner-workings of the NBA, and they play such an important role (SI.com, 10/4).
THIS IS FUN, BUT WHEN CAN I GO HOME? Nichols prior to Heat-Lakers Game 2 on Friday told ABC's Jimmy Kimmel she was on "Day 63 in the bubble and all I have to say is, I miss real life.” Nichols: “We are very lucky to be here. We are in the country’s largest science experiment, and we are going to crown an NBA champion in the next couple of days.” Nichols is staying in the same hotel as the players, and she talked about whether she reports on what she sees or lets things slide because they are in such close proximity. She said, "I wish a situation had come up that had required me to make one of those incredibly tough decisions. Instead, mostly what I’ve seen is NBA players fishing. I don’t know if that qualifies as scandalous” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 10/2).
