NBA reporter Andrew Lopez announces departure from ESPN

With the start of the 2024-25 NBA season just weeks away, changes are coming to ESPN’s Victor Wembanyama’s rhythm.

Speaking to X, NBA reporter Andrew Lopez announced that Monday would be his last day on the network. Lopez said the decision to leave the world leader was hers and made an announcement regarding her future plans.

“It’s my choice. We’ll talk about this later,” he wrote. “Five years ago, I was at a crossroads in my professional career. My newspaper was bought. What happened next was unclear. ESPN took a chance and we had a hell of a ride.

“As I said when I got this job, joining ESPN has been a dream of mine since I was 8 or 9 years old. It’s tough to break out of, but I’m excited about what’s next… I will be forever grateful for everything I have done and been able to do with ESPN. Now, new challenges, new opportunities and new dreams await me.

Personal news: pic.twitter.com/2z0r6npWQk

– Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) September 30, 2024

As Lopez mentioned, he first came to ESPN in 2019 after being fired by The Times-Picayune following its merger with The New Orleans Lawyer. He was soon hired by the Worldwide Leader to continue its coverage of the New Orleans Pelicans, who had just selected Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

Lopez then covered the ups and downs of the first four seasons of Williamson’s NBA career, while also expanding his coverage to other teams around the league. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, he left the Pelicans rhythm to cover a new league phenom in the form of Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

While it’s unclear what’s next for Lopez, it appears that ESPN already has plans to replace him. According to the New York PostRyan Glasspiegel’s Ryan Glasspiegel, the network has rehired Michael C. Wright, who previously covered the NBA and NFL for ESPN, to cover the Spurs and their reigning Rookie of the Year.

(Andrew Lopez on X)