NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski has dropped his last Woj bomb. Wojnarowski, who changed the way sports are covered with his insider information in the form of tweets, affectionally known as “Woj bombs” to those who followed him on social media, announced Wednesday morning that after a 37-year sports media career, he would be retiring from the field to take on a new role. Wojnarowski, who most recently worked at ESPN, is set to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater.
“It is a thrill of a lifetime to be able to return to a university and community that I love in a role of service to our student-athletes, coaches and institution,” Wojnarowski said. “I am hopeful that I can bring value in a lot of areas to our basketball program and open doors for our young men’s futures in ways both professionally and personally.”
Wojnarowski joined ESPN seven years ago, and became one of the NBA’s top insiders and news breakers. From free agency signings, trades, injury news, draft picks and everything in between, Wojnarowski made a career out of being one of the first to break news, specifically on social media.
In a post announcing his retirement from the journalism industry on Wednesday, Wojnarowski said “this craft transformed my life.”
“I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m not longer driven to make,” he wrote. “Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.”
The new role Wojnarowski is taking on with the Bonnies will see him help with recruiting in an era where roster turnover at the collegiate level has never been higher due to Name Image and Likeness (NIL) rights, allowing college athletes to get paid.
CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter has more on the role of general managers for college programs here, writing in part:
Building a winning team is the end goal for everybody, but for some, it might look like the Oakland A’s version of Moneyball. Identifying which players to target in the transfer portal or from the high school ranks is valuable. How much to pay them will loom large in a salary cap era that feels inevitable after the noteworthy House settlement agreement.
There are values to be had in the transfer portal, and general managers can help uncover them with data-based analysis, an eye for scheme-based fits and on-point, behind-the-scenes intel.
“Woj is the perfect person to fill this new role, combining his intimate knowledge of St. Bonaventure and our Franciscan values with a deep network of relationships he has built across the worlds of professional and intercollegiate basketball,” St. Bonaventure athletic director Bob Beretta said in a statement. “The fact that the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to walk away from a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a support role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona’s.”
