Adrian Wojnarowkski dropped one final Woj bomb on Wednesday morning when he shockingly announced his intention to retire from newsbreaking. He released a statement via his social channels thanking ESPN and all who were along for the ride throughout his career.
"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. "Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it all.
"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 no longer driven to make. Time isn't in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.
"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.
"The past seven years at ESPN have been a particular privilege. I'm appreciative of the company's leadership-especially Jimmy Pitaro and Cristina Daglas- for the understanding and acceptance of my decision to make a life change.
"After all these years reporting on everyone's teams, I'm headed back to my own."
-30- pic.twitter.com/bFeFL61s1c
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 18, 2024
Shortly thereafter, several of his former ESPN colleagues reported Wojnarowski had agreed to join the St. Bonaventure basketball program as the general manager. The school itself confirmed the news, and released its own statement.
NEWS | Wojnarowski, ’91, Retires From ESPN To Accept GM Role With #Bonnies Basketball Program
— St. Bonaventure Athletics (@GoBonnies) September 18, 2024
🔗 >> https://t.co/E1IkTF1QZE#Bonnies || #Unfurl pic.twitter.com/dzt8EoC0Jo
Via the school release, here's what Wojnarowski had to say about returning to his alma mater.
"I'm thrilled and humbled to return to St. Bonaventure with an opportunity to serve the university, Coach Mark Schmidt and our elite Atlantic 10 men's basketball program," Wojnarowski said. "In these changing times of college sports, I'm eager to join a championship program that combines high-level basketball, national television exposure, pro preparation and NIL opportunities with an intimate, supportive educational environment."
This is an absolutely stunning development. Wojnarowski is one of the two top NBA newsbreakers alongside Shams Charania and has been so for many years. His decision to retire and join the Bonnies comes as a massive surprise to everybody.
Wojnarowski began working for the Hartford Courant in high school and, after graduating from college in 1995, worked for the Fresno Bee as a columnist. In 1997 he joined The Record in New Jersey before heading to Yahoo! Sports in 2007, where he established his reptuation as an elite basketball newsbreaker for a decade. In 2017 he joined ESPN, where he stayed until his retirement on Wednesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Adrian Wojnarowski Shockingly Retires From ESPN, Joins St. Bonaventure Basketball.
