Malika Andrews and Dave McMenamin Marry on Kobe Bryant Day

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Malika Andrews and Dave McMenamin Marry on Kobe Bryant Day

Malika Rose Andrews has established herself as a well-known presence in broadcast sports journalism, so it may be hard to believe that her first job out of college was merely seven years ago, in 2017. And, in November of that same year, she met fellow N.B.A. journalist David Christopher McMenamin.

On Aug. 24, the two were married at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. As writers, exchanging vows was the highlight of their wedding day — even though Ms. Andrews said her vows was the hardest story she had ever penned … because it’s her favorite.

The duo are a basketball journalism power couple. Ms. Andrews, the host of two basketball shows on ESPN, “NBA Today” and “NBA Countdown,” became the first woman to host the N.B.A. draft in 2022.

Mr. McMenamin, who goes by Dave, has been an N.B.A. reporter for ESPN since 2009. He currently covers the Los Angeles Lakers and has reported on LeBron James and his teams since 2014.

The couple admit to being competitive with each other, so when it came to their vows, they knew they had to deliver. Mr. McMenamin, 41, had even started an email thread to himself with the subject line “vows” back in March 2022 — months before he proposed — as a place to collect his thoughts from over the years.

Ms. Andrews, 29, conceded that he may have had the better speech, particularly for his reference to some advice that his godfather, Gasper Barone, also known as Uncle Buster, had given him.

“He told me that love is seeing that the Diet Coke is all out in the fridge — or in our case, bubbly water — and going to the pantry to restock it so she can have a cold one when she opens the fridge later,” he read out loud to Ms. Andrews as she cried through his speech. “In that spirit, I vow to you to continue to stay one step ahead in anticipating your needs and considering you as my most important person.”

The two met at Madison Square Garden in November 2017 while covering a game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the time, Ms. Andrews was a fellow at The New York Times covering sports.

After a pregame practice that morning at the Garden, Ms. Andrews was interviewing LeBron James. Mr. McMenamin was in his fourth season covering Mr. James, and he was intrigued by Ms. Andrews because reporters don’t typically get one-on-one interviews with the basketball star.

“It seemed like there was a good rapport between the two of them,” Mr. McMenamin said. Though he wasn’t eavesdropping per se, he said, it’s part of his job to know what’s being reported on Mr. James. He noticed that Ms. Andrews had a lot of poise and asked good questions. “So I kind of made a note, like, ‘OK, who is that girl?,’” Mr. McMenamin recalled.

Later on in the day, right before the game started, he saw her again. This time, she was talking to the veteran basketball reporter Howard Beck, who is also a friend of his. He decided to approach them, knowing that Mr. Beck would have to introduce him to Ms. Andrews. (She already knew who he was and had been reading his work for years.)

The two chatted for a bit, and during their conversation, she said she noticed that “he’s really funny” and “very quick.” They followed each other on social media after the game.

The following month, Mr. McMenamin, who was living in Cleveland, made a quick visit to New York with his brother, Jeffrey McMenamin. He decided to ****** his shot with Ms. Andrews.

“If I could spend some time with Malika in the process, why not?” Mr. McMenamin said. He asked her to meet. After the plans were set, she asked him, “Is this a date?” (It was.)

They met in Bryant Park in early December, when Christmas decorations, including the nearby Rockefeller Center tree, enlivened the area. The two grabbed coffee at a kiosk in the park and then went on a long walk. They quickly connected over their shared passion for journalism and basketball.

The date went several hours over, and Mr. McMenamin was so late to watch the Knicks play the Lakers with his brother that “he might have made it by halftime,” he said.

That Christmas, Ms. Andrews traveled to Philadelphia to cover a game between the 76ers and the Knicks. She didn’t know anybody in the city, and he suggested that she spend the holiday with his sister, Shawna McMenamin, who lives in Philadelphia (and later became a bridesmaid).

“I remember when I told my dad about it, he was touched,” Ms. Andrews said. “He always has a healthy skepticism of guys I date. But he never wants me to be alone for the holidays.” (Two years later, in 2019, Ms. Andrews was “fully indoctrinated” into Mr. McMenamin’s family holiday traditions, which they call “McMena-mas.”)

After their first date, they saw each other in person about once a month, work permitting. They spent a lot of time on FaceTime, texting and even proofreading each other’s stories.

In October 2018, when Mr. James signed a free agent deal to join the Lakers, Mr. McMenamin moved to Los Angeles. At times, he and Ms. Andrews wondered how their relationship would progress as career-focused individuals who lived on opposite coasts.

“It’s like, where is this going? We’re going to continue to push our career as far as we could go and care about the other person,” Mr. McMenamin said. “But neither of us was just going to ask the person to make a sacrifice.”

In 2021, at 26, Ms. Andrews was offered to host ESPN’s new daily N.B.A. show, “NBA Today.” It was her dream job, and it was based in Los Angeles.

“Our whole life sort of changed after that,” Ms. Andrews said. After she moved to Los Angeles, they finally saw the full scope of what their relationship could be.

The serendipity of it all makes Mr. McMenamin think about a message from “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, one of his favorite books.

“When you really want something, the whole universe conspires to make it happen,” he said.

Binge more Vows columns here and read all our wedding, relationship and divorce coverage here.

Ms. Andrews moved to Los Angeles in September 2021. The week her show launched, her parents traveled to her house from Oakland, Calif. Along with Mr. McMenamin, they rewatched the first episodes of “NBA Today” as they sat on pillows and a rug in her barely furnished house.

“It kind of felt like everything was just coming together, and everything felt right,” Ms. Andrews said.

A few months later, in January 2022, Mr. McMenamin moved into her house.

He said their house gave him his first sense of being “at home since I was at my home growing up.”

That year, on Thanksgiving Day, Mr. McMenamin proposed near her grandfather’s home in San Francisco.

“We started talking five years ago, and I never want the conversation to end,” he said as he got down on one knee. He had written his proposal speech down on a piece of paper that he later gave to her. She safeguards it in her wallet.

Ms. Andrews graduated from the University of Portland in Oregon with a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications. Mr. McMenamin graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism.

On Aug. 24, the couple were wed at Cavallo Point Lodge, a hotel by the Golden Gate Bridge. They said they had learned that some of the steel from the bridge was sourced from just outside of Philadelphia, where Mr. McMenamin is from. Ms. Andrews grew up in Oakland.

The wedding date was also meaningful, particularly for Mr. McMenamin, because it’s also known as Kobe Bryant Day. Mr. Bryant spent 10 years wearing No. 8 and 10 years wearing No. 24 for the Lakers. Mr. McMenamin deeply admires the late basketball star and has covered his team for six seasons.

Diane Raike, a close friend of the bride’s mother, Caren Andrews, whom Ms. Andrews calls her “****** godmother,” officiated in front of 170 guests. She was ordained by the Universal Life ******* for the occasion. The seven blessings were performed by seven people in their lives who were in long-standing marriages that served as their inspirations for love. Ms. Andrews is *******.

“Dave is someone who has grown to be my brother,” said Kendra Andrews, Ms. Andrews’s younger sister and an N.B.A. reporter for ESPN who covers the Golden State Warriors. “And seeing him standing there beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, with water in his eyes, overwhelmed me with love and emotion.”

The couple entered the reception that followed to “Love on Top” by Beyoncé. As they made their way to their table, Ms. Andrews spoke into a microphone and recalled a saying from her late grandmother Cathy: “Enjoy the magic of tonight forever.”

Ms. Andrews danced with her father, Mike Andrews, to “Sweet Baby James” by James Taylor, a song he crooned to his daughters when they were *******.

For an after-hours disco party with D.J. D Sharp on the decks, Ms. Andrews changed from her long-sleeved lace gown to a silver minidress, and Mr. McMenamin changed into his Nike Mambacitas as a nod to Mr. Bryant.

On the Monday after the wedding, while sitting in white Adirondack chairs on Stinson Beach, about 17 miles away from where they got married, and eating a slice of their wedding carrot cake, Ms. Andrews said, “I keep glancing over at Dave’s hand and wedding ring. I am so happy. It’s that cheesy, total body happiness that you see in movies but don’t think can actually seep into real life. Oh, it does.”

On This Day

When Aug. 24, 2024

Where Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito, Calif.

A First Dance Playlist While getting ready in a red-roofed house on the venue’s property, Ms. Andrews’s sister played all of the songs the married bridesmaids danced to as their first dance songs at their weddings. She also played “This is Love” by Bob Marley, which was their parents’ first dance song.

A “Perfect” Performance During the reception, Elliott Yamin, Mr. McMenamin’s friend and a former “********* Idol” contestant, sang their first dance song, “I Will Cover You” from “Rent.” The couple both loved “********* Idol” growing up, and both love musicals.

A Hoops-Inspired Seating Chart The seating chart resembled an N.B.A. tournament bracket and was accompanied by a basketball hoop with a net made out of crystal beads and a sign that read: “Together, we make the perfect team. Please be seeded.” The couple posed for photos there and took a few shots before dinner. Ball is life.

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