Born on January 27, 1995, in Oakland, California, Malika Andrews grew up a lifelong Golden State Warriors fan. She attended Head-Royce School before transferring to a therapeutic boarding school in Utah, graduating at 17. She then spent a year working at her maternal grandfather’s civil rights law firm before studying communications at the University of Portland, where she graduated with honors in 2017 and served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Beacon.

After an internship at The Denver Post and a James Reston Reporting Fellowship at The New York Times, Andrews joined ESPN in October 2018 as an NBA reporter covering the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. Her profile soared during the 2020 NBA Bubble playoffs, and she steadily rose to become the network’s lead NBA studio host, taking over NBA Countdown ahead of the 2023–24 season.

Andrews married ESPN colleague and NBA reporter Dave McMenamin on August 24, 2024, in San Francisco. She is the older sister of Kendra Andrews, a rising star in the sports media who also covers the NBA for ESPN.