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 felt like Wojnarowski 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.

“I leave the event with overwhelming gratitude for countless mentors and colleagues, topics and stories, readers and viewers. No one has benefited more than I have from the faith, trust and generosity of others,” he continued in his announcement.

“The last seven years at ESPn have been a special privilege. I am grateful to the company's leadership – especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristin 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.

More information on this developing story to follow