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NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who reported breaking information in the form of social media posts that came to be affectionally known as “Woj bombs,” announced Wednesday that he was retiring from ESPN. Wojnarowsk shared that he is set to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, where he graduated in 1991.
Wojnarowski worked at Yahoo Sports for nearly a decade, which included serving as editor of The Vertical, before joining ESPN seven years ago. He soon became one of the NBA’s top insiders, reporting breaking news on free agency signings, trades, injury news, and draft picks. In his statement announcing his retirement from journalism, 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. Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful …. 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. 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.”
St. Bonaventure’s basketball program confirmed the news, and released its own statement. St. Bonaventure athletic director Bob Beretta shared: “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. 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.”‘
The St. Bonaventure’s men’s team plays in the Atlantic-10 conference and has made the NCAA Tournament three times since 2012. Under head coach Mark Schmidt, the Bonnies posted a 20-13 record last season. As part of his role as GM with the Bonnies, Wojnarowski will working with collectives for name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities, dealing with management of the transfer portal, helping in recruitment and working with family and alumni player relationships, and fundraising.
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