Rachel Nichols’ career may have hit a rough patch when she was forced to part ways with ESPN after over a decade of collaboration, but she was able to rise again thanks to another network. In September 2022, she revealed on an episode of “All the Smoke” that she had been hired to helm Showtime Basketball, gushing, “I am so thrilled.”
On Twitter, Nichols excitedly revealed the huge scope of her new role while sharing a press release regarding it. “They’ve asked me to produce, create, and host new sports programming across platforms, working alongside Hall of Famers, multiple guys with championship rings, and an uber-creative team behind the camera,” she wrote. “We’re going to have so much fun.” Despite her past drama, Showtime Basketball’s Senior Vice President of Sports Programming & Content, Brian Dailey, was also ecstatic. “Rachel brings unmatched journalistic credibility, great familiarity with our roster, and a work ethic that will take us to another level,” he enthused.
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In January 2023, Variety confirmed that she was already developing a new show called “Headliners,” as well as a new podcast called “What’s Burnin,'” for the network. “The strategy is to put this content in a bunch of different places,” she told the outlet. “So you want to hit linear TV, but also YouTube and streaming and other platforms.” In keeping with that plan, Nichols was also tapped by CBS Sports HQ (a streaming channel run by CBS Sports and Paramount) as an NBA contributor.
