After news of Richard Sherman and Lil Wayne joining Undisputed as panelists, the show is adding a familiar sports media presence to its airwaves. Rachel Nichols, the longtime National Basketball Association programming host on ESPN, is joining the FOX Sports 1 morning debate program as a regular panelist to oppose mainstay Skip Bayless. News of Nichols being brought on the show was first reported by John Ourand of Sports Business Journal.
FOX Sports 1 seems to be following the strategy ESPN employed with First Take when the show reassigned former commentator Max Kellerman in September 2021. The network focused on the appeal of Stephen A. Smith and paired him with a rotating panel of commentators, some of which have included Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, Marcus Spears and Kimberley A. Martin among others.
Michael Irvin, who is currently involved in a sexual harassment lawsuit and suspended by NFL Network, is being considered by FOX Sports 1 to join the cast. Irvin frequently appeared on First Take throughout the course of the National Football League season and brought his candid, captivating personality to the airwaves.
The network is also reportedly considering Keyshawn Johnson to join the rotation after his national morning radio show, Keyshawn, JWill and Max was canceled and he was subsequently laid off. Several ESPN talent was laid off following The Walt Disney Company-mandated cuts of 7,000 jobs to slash $5.5 billion in costs.
Nichols recently inked a contract with Monumental Sports Network to host a new interview show titled The Rachel Nichols Project. She also appears on a Showtime basketball series, Headliners, that launched last spring.
The show is also looking to add an NBA-focused analyst before the start of the season as it continues to cover the league. FOX Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch recently stated that the company will likely not be part of the bidding for the NBA’s national media rights when they expire after the 2024-25 regular season.
