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” anchor remained calm and collected in ESPN’s Los Angeles studios. The 29-year-old’s real-time response sparked an outpouring of congratulations on social media.
The earthquake disrupted cameras and shook structures, giving anyone who has experienced a tremor a mixed feeling of wonder and confusion.
“We’ve got a little bit of an earthquake here in Los Angeles,” Andrews said, pausing the interview. “So we’re just going to make sure our studio lights [and] Everything stays safe. Everything shakes.
Andrews’ body language was that of someone trying to calm a minor ruckus, her voice soothing as she asked her colleagues if they were OK. The tremors lasted only a few seconds, and she deftly returned to the video call with Lobo, who was understandably wearing an incredulous expression. They were discussing the U.S. women’s basketball team’s gold medal win over France at the Paris Olympics.
“This was truly a scary moment here in our LA studios,” Andrews tweeted. “Thank you to our incredible team and staff who remained calm throughout the event.”
There is no doubt that Andrews’ cool temperatures kept temperatures from rising. No casualties or significant damage to structures have been reported as of 2:30 p.m.
