Dan Woike to replace Jovan Buha as Lakers beat writer at The Athletic

That didn’t take long.

The Athletic already has a replacement lined up for longtime Los Angeles Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha, who announced his departure from the New York Times-owned outlet on Friday. Less than 24 hours later, Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported that Dan Woike, formerly of the Los Angeles Times, is joining The Athletic.

Glass Break at @FOS

Lakers reporter Dan Woike has left the LA Times for The Athletic https://t.co/p6Oiy1xv6h

— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) June 21, 2025

Buha spent seven years with The Athletic before posting a farewell note on X on Friday, explaining he’ll continue covering the Lakers independently through his podcast, Buha’s Block. Later that same day, Woike announced his exit from the L.A. Times, though he didn’t immediately reveal his next destination.

“I’ve been so fortunate to spend 8 years at one of the nation’s top newspapers and to learn and work with so many incredible people. I’ll be sharing what’s next soon, but I wanted to acknowledge how special the LAT has been to me,” he wrote.

Some news – Today’s my last day at @latimes. I’ve been so fortunate to spend 8 years at one of the nation’s top newspapers and to learn and work with so many incredible people. I’ll be sharing what’s next soon, but I wanted to acknowledge how special the LAT has been to me.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 20, 2025

Glasspiegel broke the news of Woike’s new role Saturday morning.

Buha’s exit is the second major loss for The Athletic since the start of the summer. Last week, Front Office Sports reported that Golden State Warriors reporter Anthony Slater will move to ESPN.

The Athletic wasted no time replacing Buha with a respected voice in Woike. But with Slater’s move to ESPN still unaddressed, questions remain about the outlet’s coverage plans for two of the NBA’s most followed teams.

For now, it’s just another move in the NBA offseason carousel.