After a lengthy career of breaking the biggest news within the NBA, Adrian Wojnarowski has dropped his last, and possibly biggest, “Woj Bomb.”
The former ESPN senior NBA insider and longtime sports journalist announced on Sept. 18 he would be retiring from the network after joining almost eight years ago.
“I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment I’m no longer driven to make,” Wojnarowski said in a post to social media. “Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are personally meaningful.”
For the future, his time will be spent where he’s most passionate – his alma mater.
Wojnarowski has accepted the role of general manager for the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure University. Among many responsibilities, he’ll oversee NIL (name, image and likeness), manage the transfer portal and recruiting, and lead fundraising efforts.
“It is a thrill of a lifetime to be able to return to a university and community that I love in a role of service to our student-athletes, coaches, and institution,” Wojnarowski said.
Wojnarowski started off his journalism career in high school by writing for the Hartford Courant – the largest newspaper in the state of Connecticut– where he began as a part-time clerk.
He then attended St. Bonaventure, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Jandoli School of Communication in 1991. Woj’s first big-time gig was with The Record in 1997 where he was twice awarded “Columnist of the Year” by the Associated Press.
In the summer of 2017, after a 10-year stint with Yahoo! Sports, Wojnarowski decided to join ESPN as its lead NBA insider. Known by fans for his nickname “Woj,” Wojnarowski created a name for himself in the industry for his rapid reports of news happenings around the NBA – known better by fans as “Woj Bombs.”. Followers of the league knew they could rely on Wojnarowski to keep them updated through tweets and posts during the NBA season and offseason, which included trades, free agent signings and injuries.
“Nobody’s faster than Woj,” said Scituate High School senior Ben Caristi. “When I think about Woj, I think about excitement and surprises. I feel like he always keeps the game on its toes. He has been a part of a lot of memories I’ve had with the NBA.”
Major moves came in 2018 when then-Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and then-Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard switched teams – James through free agency and Leonard through a trade. However, the biggest surprise and “Woj Bomb” came on March 11, 2020, when the NBA suspended its season due to then-Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for the coronavirus. Wojnarowski’s post on Twitter has generated over 332,000 likes.
“Surprising,” said Scituate High School math teacher Jonathon Schindler in response to Wojnarowski’s career change. “Probably no one on this planet has been better at their job than him.”
Landmark moments in recent NBA history are associated with Wojnarowski. When guard Kyrie Irving was traded from the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics in summer 2017, “Woj” reported major developments in the trade talks – an event that spurred Schindler’s most memorable “Woj Bombs.” For Scituate High School junior Dave Dinneen, it was James’ signing with the Los Angeles Lakers during free agency in 2018.
“He was the best at what he did. I don’t know if anyone will have as good connections as he had,” Caristi said. “I’m happy for him, he’s moving on to bigger and better things.”
Wojnarowski has inspired a whole generation of NBA fandom and sports reporting, and his tenure will surely leave an everlasting impact.