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During his career as the NBA’s premier newsbreaker, Adrian Wojnarowski became famous for dropping “Woj bombs” that moved the market.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s senior NBA insider dropped the biggest “Woj bomb” of all about himself, announcing he was retiring from journalism to accept a role as GM for the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program, his alma mater. The university is in St. Bonaventure, N.Y., in the western part of the state.
“After all these years of reporting on everyone’s teams, I’m heading back to my own,” Wojnarowski tweeted Wednesday.
Wojnarowski was making an estimated $7 million a year at ESPN, just behind Adam Schefter’s $9 million annual salary. With an estimated two to three years left on his contract, he’ll leave an estimated $15 million to $20 million on the table.
The question now: Who can replace the 55-year-old Wojnarowski? Can he be replaced at all?
ESPN has a loaded bench of NBA insiders and analysts, including Brian Windhorst, Zach Lowe, Bobby Marks, Marc J. Spears, and Tim Bontemps. But none of them match the influence of Wojnarowski, with his 6.5 million followers.
My sources tell me ESPN will likely talk to Shams Charania, Wojanrowski’s former Yahoo Sports protégé, and former ESPNer Chris Haynes. Both are pending free agents, according to the New York Post. The 30-year-old Charania’s deals with The Athletic, Stadium, and FanDuel are all up. Ditto for the 42-year-old Haynes, who has plenty of on-camera experience at TNT.
Charania is also a frequent guest on Pat McAfee’s ESPN show, which has raised eyebrows at the network given his rivalry with Wojnarowski. But McAfee’s advocacy could benefit Charania.
Meanwhile, the mood on ESPN’s campus Wednesday was one of stunned disbelief.
“I’m floored,” one staffer told me.
Another wondered whether ESPN could realistically replace one of the greatest news-breakers in sports journalism.
“There’s only one Woj,” they said.
After starting his career at the Hartford Courant, Wojnarowski cut his teeth as an NBA insider at Yahoo before jumping to ESPN in 2017.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro saluted Wojnarowski in a statement Wednesday morning. “He has led the industry at ESPN, and his dedication to the craft and to fans is legendary,” he said. “While we will miss his daily output, we completely understand his decision to make a lifestyle change and slow down a bit.”
