ESPN's Malika Andrews was interviewing basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo on air Monday afternoon, and then an earthquake shook things up.
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Los Angeles at 12:20 p.m., and the “NBA Today” host remained calm and collected inside ESPN’s Los Angeles studios. The 29-year-old’s real-time response sparked an avalanche of praise on social media.
The earthquake shook the chambers and the structure, provoking contradictory feelings of wonder and dismay in anyone who has experienced an earthquake.
“We have a small earthquake here in Los Angeles,” Andrews said, pausing the interview. “So we’ll make sure our studio lights are on.” [and] “Everything is safe. Everything is shaking.”
Andrews’ body language was that of someone trying to calm a minor disturbance, and her voice was reassuring as she asked her coworkers if they were OK. The shaking lasted only a few seconds, and she deftly returned to the video call with Lobo, who understandably had a look of disbelief. They had been talking about the U.S. women’s basketball team’s gold medal win against France at the Paris Olympics.
“It was definitely a scary time at our Los Angeles studios,” Andrews tweeted. “Thank you to our amazing staff and crew who remained calm throughout.”
Andrews' calm certainly kept the temperature from rising. No casualties or significant damage to structures were reported as of 2:30 p.m.
