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

A lot of journalists come and go, but very few female reporters make it to the top in sports media as Rachel Nichols did, and for the length, she stayed there.

However, she was not that confident the way we know her when she first got the opportunity back in 1995. The former NBA Countdown host credits Michael Jordan for giving her the confidence she needed as a young reporter.

But if you think Mike did it by going out of his way for a woman, you cannot be more wrong. He did it his way.

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Michael Jordan once helped a young Rachel Nichols ask him a question by asking her a hilarious question

In her recent appearance on the show of one of the greatest power forwards of all time, who himself was a ‘reporter’s dream’ type of athlete, Rachel told Kevin Garnett how she was once just sitting among a group of reporters, nervous, and gathering the courage to ask His Airness a question.

Out of 15 reporters, Rachel remembers, Jordan picked her and said, “You! Do you speak?” And when she said “Yes” while shivering, asked her, “Well, why aren’t you asking questions? You just free-loading here? What are you doing?”

Typical MJ. But after she asked her question he complimented her which gave her the confidence to show up each night, as she did for decades to come.

Jordan boosting Nichols’ confidence resulted in sports media getting one of its best journalists

When we mention sports media, irrespective of what led to her losing her ESPN job, Nichols will go down as one of the greatest journalists of all time.

Sports Illustrated’s “country’s most impactful and prominent female sports journalist” of 2014 has earned several awards and recognition since she started with college sports back in 1995.

She has covered all four major sports of the country as well as Tennis, for ESPN and TNT, but is most renowned for her time with the former and shows like NBA Countdown and The Jump alongside her side-line reporting.

Since the Maria Taylor incident, she lost her job at ESPN and since the start of the 2022-23 season, has joined Showtime Basketball for their basketball coverage.

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About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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