Adrian Wojnarowski’s abrupt exit from ESPN and the NBA breaking news space, as a whole, caught a lot of people off guard.
Wojnarowski still seemed to be at the top of his game as the best newsbreaker in the NBA media sphere. He just…left. One day, he was still dropping Woj Bombs. The next, he’d retired. It came out of nowhere.
THE VERY LAST WOJ BOMB: Woj retiring was the ultimate Woj Bomb that no one could scoop him on.
The news prompted everyone to wonder why he decided to exit so abruptly. Now, thanks to a Sports Illustrated profile of Wojnarowski, we know the answer. It was about his health.
The former ESPN insider was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. In the profile, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix describes the moment Wojnarowski received his diagnosis.
The scene is harrowing.
“There was a line in Woj’s retirement statement: Time isn’t in endless supply. “That was about the cancer,” he says. Last February, Wojnarowski went in for a physical. Blood tests revealed an elevated PSA, or prostate-specific antigen. His doctor sent him for an MRI. Nothing showed up. He took another PSA test. Still high. This time the doctor recommended a biopsy, which in March revealed early-stage cancer. He learned the news minutes before a remote appearance on NBA Countdown. Head foggy, he did the hit.”
Imagine having a job so demanding that still requires you to work just mere moments after you receive a terrifying diagnosis like the one Wojnarowski received. That’s a lot. It’s no wonder he walked away.
If that wasn’t enough, then it seems his family pushing him to walk away would’ve gotten the job done. Words from his son, Ben, particularly seemed to stick with Woj.
“Just before the NBA draft, Woj called Ben. He was leaning toward quitting and wanted to get his son’s take on it. Ben was blunt. “People think your job is great,” Ben said. “I think your job f—ing sucks. Retire—and go travel with Mom.”
That’ll do it. Woj made the right decision. Family and health should come first.
