NBA on Prime Video host Taylor Rooks answered some tough questions about her friendly relationships with the NBA players that she interviews.
Rooks has become a fan-favourite sports reporter over the last decade, covering the NFL and the NBA in major roles while becoming a major presence in the world of sports media.
She has built strong relationships with athletes, particularly NBA stars, attending the weddings of Tyrese Haliburton and Donovan Mitchell over the summer. However, she does not think these friendly relationships will come in the way of her journalistic objectivity.
Taylor Rooks explains how her NBA relationships don’t cloud her reporting
Rooks spoke at the Front Office Sports summit, discussing her friendly bonds with NBA players like Haliburton and Mitchell while also sharing how she still asks them the tough questions she needs to for her stories.
“Sometimes, it makes it easier. Largely because a lot of the tough conversations you’re having already… I feel like my questions are fair. Your story is your story, and none of those things is personal. I think there’s a way of asking anything.”
“I don’t worry about breaking their trust. One of the reasons you end up sitting with me is because of the trust that exists. And that trust is a daily deposit, both with the audience and the person you’re interviewing. I don’t think you can sit in the chair and not talk about certain things. When you’re sitting there, you’re signing up to be asked these things.”
Rooks shared an example of awkward interview moments with Mitchell despite sharing a personal relationship. Her bonds and demeanour have allowed her to extract some very valuable interviews with the NBA’s top stars over the years.
Rooks also invited multiple NBA players to her own wedding, including the aforementioned names alongside stars like Kevin Durant.
Fans continue flocking to Rooks’ coverage of the NBA, as she leads NBA on Prime Video with NBA legends like Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki in her corner.
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