“I felt like I got to let my sister talk”: Matt Barnes reveals why he let Rachel Nichols open up on his podcast risking his ESPN job

Media and their coverage of the various angles of the NBA are an integral part of the business and the community. With various former players also adapting roles in the NBA media, the perspectives available to an NBA fan are at an all-time high. Matt Barnes is one such former NBA player who is enjoying quite some success in the NBA media space.

Barnes’ podcast with Stephen Jackson is one of the most popular NBA podcasts in operation. Under the banner of Showtime basketball, the former NBA stars have built quite a reputation for themselves within the NBA community.

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Barnes’ burgeoning reputation in the media sphere also landed him the role of basketball analyst with ESPN. And it was here that the former Clippers star would form a relationship with another prominent media figure – Rachel Nichols.

And with Nichols attaining controversial status and being fired from ESPN, Barnes provided her with an opportunity to be heard by the world.

Matt Barnes had Rachel Nichols on All the Smoke and had ESPN officials confront him

Barnes made a brave decision by inviting Rachel Nichols to be on his show. This, despite him being employed by ESPN, the same organization that fired Nichols.

The former The Jump host was fired by ESPN in 2021 after making disparaging statements about her colleague, Maria Taylor. The matter wasn’t quite black or white and various contentions existed regarding the circumstances.

With “cancel culture” and insensitivity prevailing, Barnes believed he had to stand up for his former colleague. And while various cuts had to be made to their original recording, the episode with Nichols still aired.

“It was crazy. I’m also employed by ESPN. I can’t let you just throw dirt on certain people. I’m going to keep it business, but I’m also going to keep it real. I had a lot of love for Rachel. I had to talk to some ESPN people after that and it wasn’t crazy. It was kind of like give us more of a heads up. If Rachel telling her truth on my show was going to cost me my job, I would have taken that” revealed Matt Barnes about the risk he took by having Nichols on his podcast.

According to Barnes, Nichols had shown him the ropes of the media industry during his early days. And clearly, the former NBA champion was grateful for the help he received. To the extent of even being ready to risk his job with ESPN for his friend.

Rachel Nichols revealed her side of the story on All the Smoke

The All the Smoke episode featuring Nichols was her first public appearance which aimed at providing clarity regarding the allegations raised against her. Nichols took the opportunity granted to her and gave the world her side of the story.

“At least one person decided to just sit and watch. And started spying on me like I was their own personal TV show. When they heard something they thought was juicy they picked up their phone and started recording my conversation” described Nichols of how her audio got leaked.

“This was a conversation between me and a friend, we talked about a lot of different things. He brought up the article that had been in the paper about the lack of opportunities for people of color at ESPN. And we started talking about how my situation may intersect with some of the race and gender history of a network that is well-documented and complicated” explained Nichols recalling how her words were taken out of context.

Whatever it be, the story still remains murky. Both parties seemed to have gotten a chance to explain and move on. And that seems to be how both parties wish to leave things at.

Also read: “You Free Loading Here, Rachel Nichols?”: Michael Jordan Once Asked Young ESPN Reporter a Question That Helped Kick-start Her Career