Adrian Wojnarowski shockingly retiring from ESPN — and walking away from $20 million
Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a “Woj Bomb” on himself.
ESPN’s lead NBA insider announced Wednesday on X he’s retiring from the outlet to become the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program.
The news sent shock waves through the sports media industry because until Wednesday morning there had been the sense that Wojnarowski, 55, would be breaking NBA news even on his deathbed.
He’s walking away from roughly $20 million, per The Athletic.
A source confirmed to The Post that Wojnarowski walked away from a “substantial” amount of money left on his ESPN deal.
“I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN’s campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter,” Wojnarowski wrote on X. “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. 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.”
The grind that Wojnarowski was on required him to be tethered to his phone 24/7/365, and it is clear from his announcement that this was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
As stunning as Wednesday’s announcement was, it was foreshadowed in a 2022 conversation that ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan had on the “Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast,” a former joint venture between The Post and Sports Business Journal.
“I’ve known Woj for a long time, and I think he is the absolute best at what we do,” Passan said at the time. “And Woj has this fantasy where one day — I don’t know when it’s going to be — but when he’s done, he’s going to take his phone and throw it in the ocean. And, you know what? The ocean-throw of the phone is a dream that I have adopted and will steal at some point.”
Wojnarowski wrote for the Bergen Record early in his career and became a powerhouse NBA news-breaker in the early days of Yahoo Sports.
He expressed in his announcement how grateful he is to those who worked with him along the way.
“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,” he wrote.
“The past seven years at ESPN have been a particular privilege. I’m appreciative of the company’s leadership — especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas — for the understanding and acceptance of my decision to make a life change.
“After all these years reporting on everyone’s teams, I’m headed back to my own.”
Wojnarowski is an alumnus of St. Bonaventure, and his new role will include Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) duties, recruiting and supporting head coach Mark Schmidt.
Wojnarowski did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
