Adrian Wojnarowski announces retirement from ESPN, news media

NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski announced Wednesday he is retiring from ESPN and the news industry.

Wojnarowski, 55, has agreed to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater. In his role with the Bonnies, Wojnarowski will work on name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and serve as a liaison with collectives. In addition, he will involve himself in transfer portal management, recruit, family and alumni player relationships, professional player programs and program fundraising.

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— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 18, 2024

“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.” 

Wojnarowski has long supported St. Bonaventure, the private New York university. Back in February, Wojnarowski and his wife, Amy, also an alum, committed $50,000 to the university’s basketball-specific NIL collective, Team Unfurl.

“This move is critical to navigate the new landscape of college basketball in NIL, recruiting and retention,” Schmidt said. “Woj is as connected as anyone in the basketball world and his decades-long network of relationships can only help our program remain among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 going forward.”

Adrian Wojnarowski announces career change after seven-year tenure with ESPN

Wojnarowski has been one of the prominent basketball insiders for nearly three decades. He joined Yahoo Sports in 2007 and spent 10 years with the news organization. In 2017, he left Yahoo and joined ESPN. Since then, he has become arguably the most trusted reporter/insider in the sport, routinely dropping “Woj Bombs” during the NBA Draft and free agency. His peers voted him as the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year in 2017, ’18 and ’19.

Among his many scoops, Wojnarowski broke the news that LeBron James had signed a four-year, $154 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018. His final Woj Bomb came this past Saturday, announcing that Isaac Okoro had agreed to a three-year, $38 million deal to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He walks away from a lucrative contract he signed with the worldwide leader in 2022.

“This craft transformed my life, but I’ve decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry,” Wojnarowski said. “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 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.”