2 weeks Ago
Adrian Wojnarowski dropped what NBA fans described as the "mother of all Woj Bombs" when he unexpectedly announced he was retiring from ESPN and the news industry. Shortly after the stunning news, ESPN reported Wojnarowski had agreed to become the general manager of the men's basketball team of his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.
But there's more than meets the eye as Wojnarowski walked away from what he said was a "dream job" and left while he was at the top of his game like Michael Jordan did during his first two retirements from the NBA. Anne-Marie Caruso via Imagn Content Services, LLC ESPN's NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed the real reason behind Wojnarowski's decision to walk away. "We talked about this, and basically he wanted his life back," Schefter said on "NBA Today" on September 18.
"He didn't want to have to work on holidays. He didn't want to be away from more family gatherings. He didn't want to have to, as we had to do in the past, take a shower with your phone up against the shower door so you can see a text that was coming in or take your phone with you to the urinal and hold it in one hand while you're trying to take care of your business in the other.
" "That's the life that we live, and that was a life that he chose not to do any longer because it takes over your life." Wojnarowski, 55, now can enjoy life without checking his phone round the clock for news to break. "You can't kind of do the job," Schefter continued.
"You have to live the job. And he was done living the job. He wants to go live his life and work for his school and give back to younger athletes and people beyond what he's done at the highest of high levels for however long he's done it.
It's enough." Wojnarowski rose to prominence as the pre-eminent NBA newsbreaker when he joined Yahoo Sports in 2007. When ESPN hired him in 2017, his rivalry with his former Yahoo Sports' protege Shams Charania in breaking news during the NBA draft and free agency, the two tentpole events in the league's calendar, took shape.
"He's had enough, and he gets to don't go out on his terms after he crushed it in free agency," Schefter said. "After he crushed it during his career, and now he gets to do what he wants, which is exactly how it should be." Related: NBA Fans' Heartbreaking Reaction to Adrian Wojnarowski's Announcement Related: Everyone Made the Same Joke After Adrian Wojnarowski’s Retirement.
