The Ultimate Woj Bomb

A Bonnie bids adieu to the world of big-time media

Adrian Wojnarowski has a difficult name to say (and spell), and an easy nickname to remember. Most everyone knows him as Woj. He has become rich and famous (and faithfully followed by 6.5 million people on X) because nobody in this world is better at breaking news about the NBA.

It was Woj who told us that the NBA was canceling its 2020 season because of COVID. Woj who broke the news about the Brooklyn Nets signing Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan. Woj who informed us about Anthony Davis getting dealt from the Pelicans to the Lakers, and Oklahoma City landing an unprecedented treasure trove of draft picks in exchange for sending Paul George to the Clippers.

When Woj tweeted it, you could bank on it. His reporting was so impactful that his tweets became known as” Woj Bombs.” And on Wednesday morning, he delivered one of his biggest rafter-rocking Bombs, and didn’t even have to dial up one of his sources to do so. Because this one – The Last Woj Bomb? -  was about his decision to leave his position as ESPN’s Senior Basketball Insider to go to work for his cherished alma mater, St. Bonaventure University, as the general manager of the men’s basketball program.

“Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it all. This craft transformed my life, but I’ve decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry,” Wojnarowski posted on social media. “I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m no longer driven to make.

“Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful. I leave with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, subjects and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefitted more than me from the belief, trust and generosity of others.”

According to various published accounts, Woj will leave some $20 million on the table from the worldwide sports leader over the next three years. Was he annoyed that ESPN’s highest-paid show host, Pat McAfee, would regularly promote his chief newsbreaking rival, Shams Charania of The Athletic, on his program? (McAfee has already endorsed Charania to replace Woj.)  I have no clue. But I’d be shocked if this turned out to be a play to get a bigger payday, or weasel out of a deal that he wants to renegotiate. That’s not how the Woj I know lives his life. I don’t claim to be among his closest friends, but I’ve known Adrian – that’s what I’ve always called him – for decades, dating to his time with the Fresno Bee. He approached me at an NCAA tournament venue and introduced himself. I was working for the New York Daily News.  We talked shop for a bit and I looked at some of his work and I knew he would not be long for the Bee. When he became an award-winning columnist for The Record in north Jersey, we ran into each other more often. His writing was superb and his sense of story and news had few equals. When he asked for any suggestions I might have as he was beginning his wonderful book called  “The Miracle of St. Anthony” (I’d just spent a season with the women’s basketball team at Gallaudet University), I was happy to help.

Adrian pivoted to Yahoo Sports, where his beat was the NBA, and where the Woj Bombs started to drop with regularity. By the time he joined ESPN in 2017, he had established himself as one of the best – and most accurate – newsbreakers on the planet, but the best part of it was that he was the same grounded, high-character guy he was at The Record or the Bee or the Waterbury Republican-American before that.

It's easy to let fame and fortune change you. In my years in journalism and book publishing, I’ve encountered more than a few people whose success launched them into a tax bracket and social circle that I clearly did not qualify for.

In his new role at St. Bonaventure, where he met his wife and launched his professional life, Adrian Wojnarowski will help the men’s basketball program navigate the still-new and byzantine world of NIL.

"I'm thrilled and humbled to return to St. Bonaventure with an opportunity to serve the university, Coach Mark Schmidt and our elite Atlantic 10 men's basketball program," Wojnarowski said in a statement. "In these changing times of college sports, I'm eager to join a championship program that combines high-level basketball, national television exposure, pro preparation and NIL opportunities with an intimate, supportive educational environment."

Adrian Wojnarowski, 55 years old, knows the inner workings of basketball – nationally and internationally – like few others. He made a momentous life change that put meaning over money. Instead of dropping Woj Bombs, he will work to lift up a school he loves.

“After all these years reporting on everyone’s teams, I’m headed back to my own,” he said.

Good on you, Adrian

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