ESPN’s Malika Andrews was interviewing basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo on the air Monday afternoon, and then an earthquake shook everything.
When a 4.4-magnitude earthquake hit Los Angeles at 12:20 p.m., the “NBA Today” host remained calm in the ESPN studio in Los Angeles. The 29-year-old’s real-time reaction sparked an outpouring of praise on social media.
The earthquake jostled the camera and shook the structure, giving anyone who had experienced it a conflicting sense of wonder and confusion.
“There was a little earthquake in Los Angeles,” Andrews said, pausing the interview. “So we want to make sure our studio lighting [and] Everything remains safe. Everything was shaking.
Andrews’ body language seemed to calm a minor commotion, and her voice was soothing as she asked colleagues if they were okay. The vibration lasted only a few seconds before she deftly returned to the video call with Lobo, who had an understandable look of disbelief on his face. They’ve been talking about the U.S. women’s basketball team beating France to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
“This was an absolutely terrifying moment in our studio in Los Angeles,” Andrews wrote on Twitter. “Thanks to our amazing staff and staff who remained calm throughout.”
There’s no doubt that Andrews’ coolness kept temperatures from rising. There were no reports of injuries or major structure damage as of 2:30 p.m.
