Update: Rachel Nichols Still Sucks

On Thursday’s episode of Undisputed, Skip Bayless unveiled another one of his new co-hosts: Rachel Nichols—a woman who was so disliked at ESPN that her own private conversations from her private hotel room were accidentally recorded and immediately leaked to the press because the tech crew working behind the scenes at her old show did not fuck with her at all.

Skip bayless got Rachel Nichols on undisputed now ??!! pic.twitter.com/jxUD2iyEd2

— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) August 31, 2023

Welcome back to the Chat-GPT version of a good NBA journalist. She may or may not only have 4 fingers.

Rachel Nichols joins Keyshawn Johnson, Richard Sherman and Michael Irvin in a rotating cast of people who will get you fired from work because they tell the boss on you for taking longer lunch breaks.

I do not watch this show because these loud-ass debate programs are made for retired cops, late-night security guards and unemployed addicts. I guess all three of those people fall under the category of the police.

But here’s one clip from Nichols’s debut that will remind you why you didn’t care about her leaving ESPN in the first place:

“He still thinks of himself as the guy from that Game 1 [vs. the Celtics]… he thinks he should be leading the show. The reason why he wanted out of Philadelphia in the first place is that it’s the Joel Embiid show right now.”

—@Rachel__Nichols pic.twitter.com/3wOKuR2aQa

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 31, 2023

Hm, let me try to properly explain my frustrations with Rachel Nichols sitting there and declaring James Harden still wants to be ‘that guy’ and isn’t happy with his role in Philadelphia.

First, the football season starts next week.

Rachel is like, 4 weeks late to adding her little two cents into the James Harden discourse.

I don’t understand why they don’t talk more college football. Fox Sports pays a lot of money to air Big 10 games every Saturday.

There are other, more relevant sports topics than James Harden but whatever.

Rachel Nichols used to host her own NBA show on ESPN.

It sucked.

Mainly because she—and by extension, her co-hosts—were eager to discuss off-the-court storylines without any understanding of these players’s motivations.

So it’s impossible for me to keep my eyes from rolling out of my skull when I hear her confidently state that James Harden wants to be the guy and that’s the big problem in Philly.

I think James Harden is fully aware Joel Embiid is better than him.

Harden’s motivations are getting paid exorbitant amounts of money and living in a cool city. That’s why he opted back into his deal.

There wasn’t a team available to pay him the money he wanted so he opted back in under the impression that Sixers GM, Daryl Morey, would help him out and trade him to a more desirable city.

But Daryl Morey couldn’t get the assets he wanted and went back on his word. That’s why James Harden called Daryl Morey a liar in front of all his Chinese opps.

If James Harden could find a way to get a max contract while averaging 10 points and 10 assists, he’d do that.

Did you see him in the playoffs last season? That man didn’t even want the ball in his hands.

This is not a person who wants to be ‘the guy’ anymore. He wants to play on the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. He quite literally wants the opposite of what Rachel is saying.

I guess my problem with Rachel Nichols is how obvious everything I said seems and the woman who has spent so much of her career covering the NBA should be able to easily recognize what’s happening directly in front of her but she is using the laziest “he wants to be the guy” take which strips nuance and specifics from any situation.

It’s like going on TV after the NBA Finals and saying the team won because they ‘wanted it more’.

It’s the complete absence of analysis. It requires no critical thought and if anything, it shows me that you are incapable of interpreting and articulating what you are watching.

So why should I watch YOU?

Rachel Nichols sucks. And Skip Bayless looks like an egg frying on the sidewalk on a hot day. This show is COOKED. (I really didn’t mean to end this article with a pun. I am so sorry).

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