Former NFL wideout Dez Bryant went after ESPN host Malika Andrews on social media over her coverage of the NBA’s investigation into allegations of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey having an inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.
Bryant took to X and said Andrews is “just a puppet” following her reporting on the situation during Monday’s installment of her ESPN show, “NBA Today.”
“You went out your way to crucify [Charlotte Hornets guard] Brandon Miller on draft day over something he didn’t even do,” Bryant said in reference to Andrews hosting the 2023 NBA Draft.
Prior to the Hornets selecting Miller with the No. 2 overall pick, Andrews described the Alabama product as a “cooperating witness” in the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris on Jan. 15, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Miller was not charged with a crime.
“Why haven’t you said nothing about Josh Giddey,” Bryant said. “I advise you not to make this a black or white thing.”
The former All-Pro NFLer continued to criticize Andrews and said “I know your kind.”
Andrews has yet to address Bryant’s comments.
Some X users defended Andrews, saying she was just doing her job.
“Looks all the same, looks like she’s doing her damn job, looks like she is relaying information provided to her, looks like she is just doing what her producers and writers tell her to do,” one person wrote.
Another added: “How do these clips not sound the exact same to y’all? Am I missing something?”
Some said Andrews was “literally reporting these all the same way,” and some disagreed.
During Monday’s “NBA Today,” Andrews reported on the NBA’s on-going investigation into the allegations that Giddey had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
“In a since-deleted post, an anonymous social media user claimed a girl who was seen with Giddey in videos and images, some of which include explicit captions, was a junior in high school,” Andrews said.
Giddey declined to comment when asked about the situation at the Thunder’s media availability Friday — and hasn’t missed a game since the allegations first emerged on social media late Wednesday night.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault also did not comment.
An NBA league spokesperson said they are still in the process of gathering information.
Miller’s former teammate, ex-Alabama forward Darius Miles, and another man, Michael Lynn Davis, were charged in the fatal shooting of Harris in January.
Police claim that Miller was at the scene of the shooting and the gun allegedly used was retrieved from his car.
Miller faced no criminal charges.
At the 2023 NBA Draft, which took place at Barclays Center in June, Andrews asked NBA front office insider Bobby Marks how much that off-court situation played a factor in teams’ evaluation of Miller.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith defended Andrews at the time.
“She had an obligation to ask those questions,” Smith said. “She did her job. If she doesn’t do her job, she’s off the air.”
