Adrian Wojnarowski explains reason for ESPN exit, reveals cancer diagnosis

Former NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, also known as Woj, made the stunning decision to leave his job at ESPN back in September. Wojnarowski was the leading newsbreaker in the NBA and was famous for his “Woj Bombs.”

However, he traded in that lifestyle and hefty paycheck from ESPN to take over as the general manager for the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program. Adrian Wojnarowski recently explained his decision in a piece with Sports Illustrated.

The move was made in part because he was burnt out, Adrian Wojnarowski told Sports Illustrated. He was always working, always breaking news, never able to check out for a bit and live a normal life. St. Bonaventure was looking for a general manager for its men’s basketball program, and after helping lead the search, Woj thought that taking the job himself might be the best move.

“What I was doing, it just wasn’t fulfilling anymore,” Woj told SI. “I was just done. This is what gets me excited. To learn something new, to be part of something like this. It’s a whole new challenge.”

Wojnarowski was also diagnosed with prostate cancer in March, which made stepping away from ESPN and working for St. Bonaventure even more appealing. Woj told SI that he has no symptoms and the cancer is “pretty limited in scope.”

Still, as he said in his retirement announcement, “Time isn’t in endless supply.”

Adrian Wojnarowski reached out to former Villanova head coach Jay Wright before stepping away, he told SI. Wright informed Woj that when he decided to leave coaching, he did so because he felt like he was never present with his family. Woj certainly understood that feeling, and it’s part of what led him to leave his job at ESPN.

Wojnarowski’s family was in favor of the move. His wife Amy, daughter Annie and son Ben all wanted more time with their husband and father.

Former Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers is someone else Woj reached out to before making his decision. Myers told Wojnarowski that he believed he would be happier by stepping away from the newsbreaking lifestyle.

“Bob’s brutally honest with you,” Woj told SI. “And he’s like, ‘You’re not going to be fun to be around if you do this another year.'”

With breaking NBA news around the clock in the past, Adrian Wojnarowski is enjoying his time at St. Bonaventure and the new challenge he has.

“There’s nowhere else on the planet I would work this hard for,” Woj told SI. “I can’t say I won’t do something else someday. But nothing like this.”