Rachel Nichols
| Rachel Nichols | |
|---|---|
 Rachel Nichols .jpeg American Sports Broadcaster | |
| Born | Rachel Michele Alexander October 18, 1973 Potomac, Maryland, U.S. |
| 🏡 Residence | Los Angeles |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 🏫 Education | Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Northwestern University |
| 💼 Occupation | American Sports Broadcaster |
Early Life[edit]
Rachel Nichols was born and raised in Potomac, Maryland, U.S. Nichols earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Northwestern University.
Career[edit]
Rachel Nichols is an American sports broadcaster with more than 25 years of experience as a TV host, reporter, and anchor. Known for her authentic and personable delivery, Rachel has been praised for being able to easily move between lighthearted, fun segments to complex topics and hard-hitting interviews.
The two-time Emmy Award winner’s illustrious career includes creating and hosting two television shows during her time with some of the most renowned media outlets in the industry. Rachel got her start with the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel at age 21, before moving on to the Washington Post, where she spent nearly a decade covering the NHL, NBA, baseball and football, as well as multiple Olympics and Grand Slams.
In 2004, Nichols moved on to ESPN for a nine-year run in which she appeared on some of the network’s most watched programs, like SportsCenter and NFL Countdown. She was also part of the network’s Monday Night Football broadcasts as a sideline reporter before making her next leap, to CNN and Turner Sports.
It was there she helped create and host her first self-titled show, Unguarded with Rachel Nichols, which aired weekly on CNN and CNN International to more than a billion viewers worldwide. At the same time, Rachel served as an integral part of TNT’s NBA broadcasts, as well as being a part of baseball and golf broadcasts for TBS, and Final Four broadcasts on CBS.
Through this period, Rachel gained notoriety for landing huge interviews with some of sports’ biggest stars: Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Tyson and so many more. As future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade noted about Rachel in his recently-released memoir: “She’s always getting big interviews in the big moments because there’s a big-time respect factor. We as players know she’s going to ask the questions that matter, but more importantly, she’s going to treat each story with the nuance and care it deserves. She’s a true professional in every sense of the word.”
Nichols returned to ESPN in 2016 after pitching the network on The Jump, which Sports Illustrated would go on to call “TV’s smartest basketball show.” Nichols hosted the show daily while recruiting Hall of Famers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scottie Pippen, Tracy McGrady, and Paul Pierce to join her on set for an innovative mix of opinions, on-location reporting, and candid conversations. Anchoring The Jump also earned Rachel an Emmy nomination for “Best Host,” which made her only the second woman to earn that mark, amongst the more than 200 men nominated in the awards’ prestigious 42-year history.
Nichols was also a key part of ESPN’s premiere Saturday Night NBA package, first as the broadcast’s host and then as its sideline reporter, becoming a fixture during the NBA’s chaotic “Bubble” season.
Rachel has often been cited for her willingness to speak truth to power. She earned a Gracie Award for her hard-hitting interview with Floyd Mayweather on his record of domestic violence, and an Ed Block Courage Award for her public questioning of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Personal Life[edit]
Nichols is married with two children and currently resides in Los Angeles.
