Frontrunner emerges to replace Elle Duncan at ESPN

ESPN is reportedly gearing up to replace Elle Duncan from in-house.

Veteran ESPN host Malika Andrews has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Duncan as the network’s lead WNBA studio host, Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reports this week. Glasspiegel adds that no deal has been finalized but that Andrews is now the “leading candidate” to take over Duncan’s WNBA studio hosting duties.

Duncan, 42, had been at ESPN since 2016, serving in a variety of hosting duties for the network. However, word emerged late last month that Duncan agreed to a deal with Netflix to become the streaming giant’s first full-time sports personality (check out the full details here).

As for Andrews, 30, she has been with The Worldwide Leader ever since 2018 and has become a staple of their basketball coverage. While Andrews has had some live-TV gaffes in the past, those have been more the exception than the rule as she has also widely drawn praise over her professionalism on the air.

Andrews also makes perfect sense as the WNBA studio host replacement for Duncan since she already serves as the host of a number of other basketball programs for ESPN (including the shows “NBA Today,” which sometimes has some WNBA crossover, and “NBA Countdown”). Additionally, Andrews just agreed to a notable contract extension with ESPN and has seen an expanded role this season, including returning to her duties as an NBA sideline reporter during games.

Of course, ESPN will still need to find a replacement for the other roles of Duncan, who also served for them as a “SportsCenter” host as well as their lead anchor for women’s college basketball games. But it appears that the first item on the agenda is complete as Andrews closes in on taking over Duncan’s WNBA studio hosting role.