There are few sports journalists in the history of the field who have transcended well beyond their station quite in the way that Adrian Wojnarowski has. Fans called him Woj, for short, and called his sudden, earth-shattering reports of trades, free-agent signings, or coach firings as “Woj Bombs.” While some criticized him for being a mouthpiece for NBA front offices, it’s tough to deny that his alleged ass-kissing gained him unprecedented access that let him drop some of the biggest news in the sports world.
But the newly retired Woj isn’t going to be sipping margaritas on a beach for the rest of his life. He is stepping away from breaking NBA news to become an active member of a basketball front office. Woj graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 1991 and will now become the Bonnies basketball program’s new general manager. I’m not sure if breaking NBA news makes someone qualified to run an entire basketball program at an NCAA Division I school, but good luck to him.
Woj broke some massive stories in recent years, including such seismic transactions like Paul George’s trade from Oklahoma City to the LA Clippers, or his famous “clean sweep” tweet when he reported back in June 2019 that the Brooklyn Nets had signed Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan. He broke the news that Lebron James was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the LA Lakers.
Some non-NBA transaction news highlights include his honoring of gun control activist James Brady and that time he received an email from Republican Senator Josh Hawley and replied with a simple and elegant “Fuck you.” ESPN suspended him for that one. A worthwhile suspension, honestly.
Lost in all of the breaking news, however, is Woj’s opinion column writing, which is often considered to be some of the best sports writing of the modern era.
With Woj gone, Shams Charania of The Athletic will now become the de facto breaker of massive NBA news. Charania was once Woj’s protégé when they worked for Yahoo! Sports. Both eventually went their separate ways and became direct competitors, often tweeting out NBA transaction news within seconds of one another. But here’s a twist: Shams’ contract with The Athletic expires soon. Soon, with no other competition on the market, the biggest breaker of NBA news will become a free agent.
The post Woj’s Last Bomb: NBA Insider Trades Breaking News for College Hoops appeared first on VICE.
The post Woj’s Last Bomb: NBA Insider Trades Breaking News for College Hoops appeared first on VICE.
