ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski sent shockwaves across the sports world when he announced his retirement from his post as the head basketball insider. And while the exact reasoning behind his departure is still a mystery, one fellow media journalist may have an idea behind its biggest motivation factor.
“The people assembled on this panel here understand and I always say to people that there are only a handful of people who understand what you do for a living and what it takes and what goes into it. He wanted his life back,” said Adam Schefter on NBA Today. “He didn’t want to have to work on holidays, he didn’t want to move away from more family gatherings, he didn’t want to have to take a shower with your phone up against the shower door so you could see a text that’s coming in. That’s the life we live and that’s the life he chose not to do. It takes over your life. You can’t kind of do the job, you have to live the job, and he was done living the job. Now he gets to do what he wants, which is exactly how it should be.”
Wojnarowski recently announced his retirement from the media after serving as an insider (for ESPN and previously Yahoo) since 2007. He left $20 million on the table to accept a position as the head basketball GM for his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.
The decision marks the end of a historic campaign for Woj, who was widely considered to be the best in the business. Throughout the years, he was the first to report various signings, from Kevin Durant to the Warriors in 2016 to Damian Lillard’s trade to the Bucks in 2023. His “Woj bombs” became legendary in the community and fans knew to look to him or Shams Charania for NBA insider information.
Woj has been paid well by ESPN over the years but the job is extremely demanding. Being the first to report on NBA news requires you to be on the phone all the time whether it’s waiting for a text, sending a post, or calling to check in with various sources.
During an interview with Shams Charania back in 2022 he revealed that he frequently spends 17-18 hours per day on his phone out of fear of missing a story or scoop that could go viral. He used to avoid driving so he could stay on his phone for the entire trip.
The situation is likely very similar with Adrian Wojnarowski. As ESPN’s top basketball reporter, he has to constantly be in touch with his sources and it leaves very little room for time off. So when the chance came for Woj, 55, to take on a less demanding job as the GM of his former school, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Now, it’ll be up to ESPN to find someone to fill his shoes. With Woj set to fade into the spotlight, the network already has some names to consider for his replacement, including Brian Windhorst, Shams Charania, and Chris Haynes.
Only time will tell how it all plays out but you can’t blame Wojnarowski for wanting a little time to himself. After years of leading the industry, we can all agree that he’s earned the right to end his career on his own terms.
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