For most basketball players, the NBA Draft is one of the most anticipated and exciting days of their career. And the reporters covering the event know the elation is contagious, according to ESPN鈥檚 Malika Andrews.
鈥淚t’s the day you get to see young people’s dreams come true, you know?鈥 Andrews, 30, tells PEOPLE.
PEOPLE spoke with the basketball reporter ahead of this year鈥檚 NBA Draft, which begins Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
During the interview, Andrews explained what it鈥檚 like to help facilitate the marquee event, which is highlighted by basketball鈥檚 brightest young stars achieving their lifelong dreams and sharing the memorable moment with family and friends.
鈥淔or a lot of these young [people], it’s the moment that they have been working toward their entire life and they get to share that with the people that mean the most to them, who helped them get there,鈥 Andrews says. 鈥淎nd so when we’re sitting up on the stage, behind the tables of players who are waiting to hear their names called, and they’re decked out in their outfits that they’ve taken all this time to kind of put together, and they鈥檙e with their family, smiling ear to ear. It’s just a joyful, joyful day that can only happen when you’ve had your eyes set on making it into the league for so long, and that moment finally comes to fruition.鈥
The NBA Draft is where fans can see their favorite team鈥檚 fortunes turn on a dime 鈥 such as when the Dallas Mavericks received the No. 1 overall draft pick, which they are expected to use to take the highly touted Duke forward Cooper Flagg. The news came just months after trading away star forward Luka Doncic last season, leaving many fans feeling disappointed in the team and its front office.
Other stars of this year鈥檚 NBA Draft include Rutgers guards Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Baylor鈥檚 VJ Edgecombe, and Texas鈥 Tre Johnson. In total, the NBA will welcome 60 new players over the course of its two-round draft.
鈥淚t’s just about a dream coming true,鈥 Andrews says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 one of my favorite assignments.鈥
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Andrews experienced one of her own most memorable career highlights at the NBA Draft in 2022 when she became the first woman to ever host the annual event. The ESPN reporter, who first joined the network in October 2018, tells PEOPLE she鈥檚 鈥渟uch a basketball fan鈥 and covering moments of individual success, such as the NBA Draft or when the NBA Finals MVP is announced, are some of her most cherished times as a reporter.
鈥淚t’s the moment where a guy who has been thinking about what it would be like his whole life … getting to win, and getting to soak in that moment. And then I get to be a person who gets to help relay their message to the world,鈥 Andrews says of those instances. 鈥淭hat’s what this is all about. To watch that and to witness that type of greatness, there鈥檚 just like this almost childish glee of getting to do something that you’ve worked so hard for. It鈥檚 something that I don’t take for granted.鈥