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The NBA is no stranger to controversies, and that naturally extends to television network hosts who cover the game of basketball. A recent controversy involving NBA talk show personalities Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols made the rounds in the media.
That has now led to the former losing her status as the host of the popular talk show, 'The Jump'. In light of the recent controversy involving ESPN's Rachel Nichols, here are five NBA media personalities who have been embroiled in controversies over the years:
#5 Jemele Hill (2017)
The former Sportscenter host Jemele Hill drew much flak for her tweets about former US President Donald Trump.
She tweeted that Donald Trump is a 'white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists', which prompted the White House to contact ESPN to fire her from her position. ESPN completely distanced itself from the issue, citing that Jemele Hill's view was not shared by the network.
Hill was later relieved of her duties; she currently works for The Atlantic. She also hosts the 'Jemele Hill Is Unbothered' podcast.
#4 Max Kellerman (2014)
Max Kellerman was suspended by ESPN in 2014 after an interview with him admitting to domestic violence came to light.
Kellerman admitted to hitting his then-girlfriend and now wife during a college party. The incident occurred while Kellerman was on ESPN-LA radio show 'Mason & Ireland', and he was immediately suspended.
However, ESPN recalled Kellerman a week later, and he was re-instated in his previous role. Kellerman is popular for his appearances on the basketball NBA talk show 'First Take', where he appears with Molly Qerim-Rose and Stephen A Smith.
It was recently reported that Kellerman would leave the show, and ESPN will rotate guests to debate with Stephen A Smith. There is no new information on where Kellerman could be working next.
Max Kellerman is a renowned name in the world of boxing, so there is a good chance of him landing a job in that sphere.
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#3 Colin Cowherd (2015)
Host of the popular American NBA sports talk show 'The Herd', Colin Cowherd was the center of a major controversy in 2015. Known for his NBA hot takes, Cowherd was fired by ESPN for his remarks on the intelligence of baseball players who hail from the Dominican Republic.
ESPN issued an apology statement, and so did Cowherd, but he had to part ways with the network immediately. MLB also condemned Cowherd's remarks, and demanded an apology from him.
Cowherd currently appears on 'The Herd', with co-host Joy Taylor.
#2 Stephen A Smith (2021)
Stephen A Smith made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he came out and condemned Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani's use of an interpreter. Smith is arguably the most popular face amongst all the NBA talk show hosts, but had to apologize profusely for his offensive statement.
Smith said that Ohtani couldn't be the face of the sport of baseball, because of his use of an interpreter. He received flak from his colleagues, with Mina Kimes and Pablo Torre coming out in support of the MLB star.
Smith hosts the NBA talk show 'First Take', which airs on ESPN Network.
#1 Rachel Nichols (2021)
Rachel Nichols took the world of media by storm when a leak of her conversation with Adam Mendelsohn, an advisor to NBA star LeBron James, came out.
Nichols suggested that her colleague Maria Taylor got the job of covering the 2020 NBA finals due to her ethnicity and not on merit. She cited ESPN's poor history of not promoting diversity as the reason behind her statement.
Rachel Nichols was pulled out of ESPN's 2021 NBA finals program, and Malika Andrews brought in to replace her. Nichols, though, continued to be the host of 'The Jump', and also apologized profusely to both the audience and Taylor for her distasteful remarks.
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