'NBA Today' Host Malika Andrews Keeps Calm Live On-Air As 4.4 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes L.A.
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake reportedly hit ESPN's studio in Los Angeles — and Malika Andrews was caught on film maintaining poise and professionalism.
While covering Team USA women's basketball alongside WNBA legend turned basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo, Andrews was in the middle of a discussion when the entire studio began to shake live on-air.
"We have a bit of an earthquake here in Los Angeles," Andrews, 29, said without her voice skipping a beat, as ESPN's entire L.A. studio is seen rattling. "We're just going to make sure that our studio lights — everything stays safe, everything's shaking."
The host also checked on the building and crew before proceeding.
"You good [camera person], everybody good? Alright, thank you so much for bearing with us through that. Our studio was shaking just a little bit," she reiterated. "[Crew] If you're still good in the studio... everyone still good? Alright so this is what I want to show you now," the Oakland, California, native continued, jumping directly into the next slide on screen.
Fans in the comment section were shocked at her ability to keep calm, admitting there's no way they would have managed to do the same. "Babay, I would've ran out of my black job expeditiously [laughing emoji]," one fan penned on instagram. "She definitely ain't lie on her resume. She got skills that was gooooood," a second joked.
'KTLA 5' reported the earthquake at 4.4 magnitude, which rattled Southern California and beyond Monday afternoon. Shockwaves were reportedly felt across the region.
The quake — which was initially marked a 4.7 — struck around 12:20 p.m. about 2.5 miles south, southeast of Highland Park near Los Angeles' Chinatown neighborhood, per the news outlet.
Sources told the outlet that the tremor was also felt from the westside of Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and beyond.
Glen Walker of 'KTLA' said the "whole building was shaking pretty good," seemingly similar to Andrews' experience at ESPN's studio.
#Breaking #California #Earthquake a Magnitude 4.7 quake just struck near South #Pasadena
— OC Scanner 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@OC_Scanner) August 12, 2024
Quake was relatively shallow which is what made the shaking so strong pic.twitter.com/msP7U7wDqv
Jumping into action, the Los Angeles Fire Department reportedly went into "earthquake mode" as 106 LAFD neighborhood stations were sent out to analyze districts in search of damage "areas of local concern," per sources.
Malika Andrews joined ESPN in October 2018 as an online NBA writer. The sports journalist debuted as the sports media company's youngest sideline reporter for a broadcast during the 2020 NBA Bubble.
