ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski recently retired from reporting after nearly three decades in sports journalism, and the news hit like one of his signature NBA news bombs.
But while the attention around his exit from the Worldwide Leader generated predictable intrigue in the sports world, “Woj” never believed he would become a big enough star in the industry for his career to matter in the big picture.
In an interview on the Eye On College Basketball podcast this week, Wojnarowski gave his take on how he became such a big celebrity as a journalist covering basketball.
“I think I was the beneficiary … of timing,” Wojnarowski said. “2010, LeBron James going to Miami with Chris Bosh, the internet at Yahoo, and then Twitter comes along and I start posting on Twitter. There was a perfect storm of interest in the NBA, and then I think 2010 changed interest in free agency. That became its own thing, the trades, the deals, the buildup to the deals.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upuaLYermfw&t=1249s
Wojnarowski is celebrated (or chastised) for basically creating the modern sports insider, taking a mold crafted by the likes of Chris Mortensen and porting it to social media and the celebrity culture around the NBA.
But beyond the fortune of lining up his time at Yahoo Sports with a new era of “player empowerment” led by James, Wojnarowski also credited his previous bosses for the opportunity to develop his craft.
“I was the beneficiary of timing with all of that happening, and having really committed people at Yahoo at the time who gave me the freedom to get on a plane and go meet people … have a travel budget,” Wojnarowski said.
Still, Wojnarowski also took some credit for himself and his family. Wojnarowski lauded his father for instilling a strong work ethic in him and described how he hustled in college and early in his career to become the best reporter he could.
As a result, Wojnarowski went from a beat writer to a columnist to an insider in a couple of decades.
“This is a job of perspiration, this is a job of hard work, the willingness to do the work. And that’s a talent I always knew I had,” Wojnarowski said. “And that carried me, it just carried me.”
Since leaving ESPN to become the general manager of the St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball program, we’ve heard more from “Woj” than ever before. These insights into his own career are valuable details on how he helped revolutionize the industry.
[CBS Sports College Basketball on YouTube]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.