Adrian Wojnarowski surprisingly retires from ESPN – and waives $20 million

Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a “Woj bomb” on himself.

ESPN's leading NBA insider announced on X on Wednesday that he is retiring from the media business to become general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball program.

The news sent shockwaves throughout the sports media industry, as until Wednesday morning it seemed as though Wojnarowski, 55, was announcing NBA news on his deathbed.

According to The Athletic, he is giving up around $20 million.

A source confirmed to the Washington Post that Wojnarowski had waived a “significant” remaining amount of his ESPN contract.

“I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from the ESPN campus and always dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter,” Wojnarowski wrote on X. “I got my first name as a writer at the Hartford Courant 37 years ago and have never stopped chasing thrills since.

“This craft has changed my life, but I have decided to step away from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment my role requires and it is an investment I am no longer forced to make. Time is finite and I want to spend it in a way that is more meaningful to me personally.”

Wojnarowski's hard work required him to be glued to his phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and it's clear from his announcement that he didn't want to do that for the rest of his life.

As stunning as Wednesday's announcement was, it was already anticipated in a conversation with ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan for 2022 on the Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, a former joint venture between The Post and the Sports Business Journal.

“I've known Woj for a long time and I think he's the absolute best at what we do,” Passan said at the time. “And Woj has this fantasy that one day – I don't know when it will be – when he's done, he's going to take his phone and throw it in the ocean. And you know what? Throwing the phone in the ocean is a dream that I've taken over and will eventually steal.”

Wojnarowski wrote for the Bergen Record early in his career and became an influential NBA newsbreaker in the early days of Yahoo Sports.

In his announcement, he expressed how grateful he was to those who had accompanied him on this journey.

“I leave with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, subjects and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefited more than I have from the faith, trust and generosity of others,” Woj wrote.

“The last seven years at ESPN have been a special privilege. I am grateful to the company's leadership – especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas – for understanding and accepting my decision to change my life.

“After all these years of covering everyone's teams, I'm returning to my own.”

Wojnarowski is a former student of St. Bonaventure and his new role includes Name Image and Likeness (NIL) duties as well as recruiting and assisting head coach Mark Schmidt.

The Post has asked Wojnarowski for comment.