Why Did the Las Vegas Crowd Boo Malika Andrews During Lakers In-Season Tournament Championship Presentation?

The Los Angeles Lakers won the inaugural In-Season Tournament on Sunday, defeating the Pacers in a thrilling game at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, the post-game ceremony was marred by the loud and hostile reaction of the crowd towards ESPN reporter Malika Andrews, who was in charge of presenting the trophy and interviewing the players.

Why Was Malika Andrews Booed by the Crowd in Las Vegas?

As soon as Andrews was introduced by the PA announcer, the crowd erupted in boos, making it hard to hear her voice over the speakers. The boos continued throughout the ceremony, even as Andrews congratulated the Lakers and their star players LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It was clear that they really disliked her presence.

Andrews, who is one of the rising stars of ESPN’s NBA coverage, has become one of the most disliked figures among some basketball fans, especially after her controversial comments on the Ime Udoka situation last season. Udoka, who is now the head coach of the Boston Celtics, was caught cheating on Nia Long with a Celtics staff member.

Andrews, who was covering the story for ESPN, seemed biased about situations, and seemed to express anger towards her male colleagues when they said the woman should be held accountable as well, since the relationship with Udoka was consensual. She got into arguments with both Kendrick Perkins, and Stephen A Smith. This led to people saying she was a feminist.

Many fans felt that Andrews was biased and unfair towards Udoka. Some also accused Andrews of gaslighting black men on national TV, citing other instances where she questioned or criticized their actions or decisions. For example when Celtics hired Joe Mazzulla, Malika went on a strange rant about a domestic violence charge he faced during his college days.

Some fans also blame Andrews for the firing of Jalen Rose, who was one of the hosts of ESPN’s NBA Countdown show. Rose, who is a former NBA player and a popular analyst, hugged Malika Andrews in playful manner, but she accused him of putting his finger in her armpit. However, the video went viral on social media, because it showed his finger was nowhere close to her armpit.

All these things combined might be why the Las Vegas crowd booed Malika Andrews with such force.

Many people on social media are convinced that Andrews has a disdain for black men, but that hasn’t been definitively proven since she is likely told what to say on TV by her producers and editors. Andrews has never addressed these accusations publicly.

When the Rachel Nichols situation happened Malika Andrews became the most beloved ESPN personality. However, nowadays NBA fans are begging for Rachel Nichols to come back and replace her. It’s crazy how times have changed.