Rachel Nichols lands new sports media gig

Mar 19, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; truTV broadcaster Rachel Nichols (center) interviews Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller (left) against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rachel Nichols has laid low for most of 2022, but now she is officially back.

Showtime Basketball announced on Friday their hiring of the former ESPN host Nichols. The network said in a release that Nichols will serve as both a host and a producer for them, contributing to multiple programs and projects across multiple platforms (per Awful Announcing).

SI’s Chris Mannix further reports that the plan is for Nichols to eventually host a monthly basketball program for Showtime Basketball.

Showtime’s basketball wing, best known for the popular podcast “All The Smoke” hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, is rapidly growing. Retired Basketball Hall of Famers like Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, and Paul Pierce have also done projects with the network.

As for Nichols, this is the first that we have heard from her since she officially parted ways with ESPN in January. Though she had spent over a decade with ESPN and become one of their most prominent personalities, the network removed her from their programming following controversial leaked comments Nichols made about former colleague Maria Taylor.

After a roughly nine-month absence though, Nichols has returned and looks poised for a major role with Showtime Basketball.