Who is Maria Taylor? ESPN Host Departing After 'Diversity' Controversy

Maria Taylor parted ways with ESPN following the leaked comments from a year-old private tape. Taylor’s time with the network officially ended on Wednesday as a joint statement was released to put an end to speculations.

According to the New York Times, a fellow NBA reporter and host of The Jump Rachel Nichols, remarked that the television host was given the opportunity to host the Finals to make up for the sports network's “crappy longtime record on diversity.”

Later, during a broadcast of her regular basketball program, Nichols’ apologised and expressed that she is “grateful” to be part of the team. The American broadcaster said that she cannot let the moment pass without asserting how much "respect" and "value" she has for her colleagues at ESPN.

“How deeply, deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I hurt, particularly Maria Taylor,” she said.

Recent reports suggest that the 34-year-old is headed to NBC and is expected to be part of its forthcoming Olympic coverage if a contract is completed. However, there has been no official announcement made by the network.

Here's what we know about sports host Maria Taylor:

-The on-air personality attended the University of Georgia where she played volleyball and basketball for the Bulldogs.

-She graduated with a degree in broadcast news in 2009 and she later returned to pursue her Master of Business Administration in 2013.

-Taylor began her career as a sports reporter when she appeared on various studio shows including Dawg Report and SportsNite.

-Sports reporter Maria Taylor joined Disney-owned sports-media network as a college game analyst & reporter in 2014.

-Taylor has been part of variety of ESPN’s shows and platforms such as College Football Live and NCAA Women’s Final Four.

-She was assigned NBA Countdown hosting duties in 2019.

-In 2020, initially, The Jump hosted by Nichols was going to serve as the pregame show during the finals, however, it was replaced by NBA Countdown lead by Maria Taylor.