ESPN’s Malika Andrews was interviewing basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo on-air Monday afternoon, and then an earthquake shook things up.
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit Los Angeles at 12:20 p.m., and the “NBA Today” host stayed calm and collected inside ESPN’s studios in L.A. The 29-year-old’s response in real time triggered an avalanche of kudos on social media.
The quake jostled cameras and jolted the structure, giving anyone who has experienced a tremor conflicting sensations of wonderment and disorder.
“We have a bit of an earthquake here in Los Angeles,” Andrews said, pausing the interview. “So we’re just going to make sure that our studio lights [and] everything stays safe. Everything is shaking.”
Andrews’ body language was of someone smoothing over a minor ruckus, her voice soothing as she asked co-workers if they were OK. The shaking lasted only a few seconds, and she deftly returned to the video call with Lobo, who understandably wore an incredulous expression. They had been talking about the U.S. women’s basketball team’s gold medal win over France at the Paris Olympics.
“Definitely a scary moment here in our LA studios,” Andrews tweeted. “Thank you to our incredible staff and crew who stayed cool throughout.”
No doubt Andrews’ cool kept the temperature from rising. No casualties or significant damage to structures were reported as of 2:30 p.m.