Adrian Wojnarowski stuns fans with retirement news from ESPN and forfeiting $20 million | Sports

Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a “Woj Bomb” on himself.

ESPN’s lead NBA insider announced Wednesday on X he’s retiring from the outlet and news media to change into the final supervisor of the St. Bonaventure males’s basketball program.

The news despatched shockwaves up and down the sports activities media business as a result of till Wednesday morning there had been the sense that Wojnarowski could be breaking NBA news on his deathbed.

He’s strolling away from roughly $20 million, per The Athletic.

A supply confirmed to The Post that Wojnarowski walked away from a “substantial” amount of cash 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 in the past, the Hartford courant gave me my first byline and I by no means stopped chasing the fun of all of it.

“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 not longer driven to make. Time isn’t 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 telephone 24/7/365, and it's clear from his announcement that this was not what he wished to do for the remainder of his life.

As gorgeous as Wednesday’s announcement was, it was foreshadowed in a 2022 dialog that ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan had on the “Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast,” a former joint ventue 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 stated on 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’s announcement expressed gratefulness to people who labored with him alongside the way in which.

“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,” his announcement continued.

“The previous seven years at ESPN have been a specific privilege. I’m appreciative of the corporate’s management — particularly Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas — for the understanding and acceptance of my resolution 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 function will embrace Name Image and Likeness (NIL) duties, recruiting and supporting head coach Mark Schmidt.

The Post despatched Wojnarowski a textual content message after his announcement and will replace this story if he responds.