ESPN makes Adrian Wojnarowski hire official
Woj will start his new job July 1.
Adrian Wojnarowski is the master when it comes to breaking NBA news. But his own transaction was one of the worst-kept secrets in sports media.
ESPN confirmed the long-expected move Wednesday morning, announcing that Wojnarowski would join the network at July 1. Wojnarowski – known as Woj to his more than 1.8 million Twitter followers – had previously been at Yahoo! Sports for more than a decade. There he built his reputation as a must-follow for anyone who wanted to know what was happening in the NBA – or what was going to happen.
“I’m not going to change the way I cover the league,” Wojnarowski told USA Today’s For The Win. “But at the same time, being in the studio in Bristol and studio shows in Los Angeles … I’m going to be very visible on all those shows.
“I’m excited to be a part of the NBA group that they already have and just the commitment that exists to compete at the highest level, to cover the league in a competitive fashion. Their platforms — digital, television, video, social — here, and then globally, I’ve found that this is a sport where there’s a tremendous appetite not just here but all over the world for the NBA. I think ESPN gives you the best platform to reach as many possible people as possible with the best quality of content. There will be an opportunity to reach people and do it in a real committed fashion.”
Wojnarowski’s debut at ESPN coincides with the start of NBA free agency. At Yahoo! Sports, he oversaw a vertical NBA site – naturally called The Vertical – that had its own staff. One of those staffers, former NBA executive Bobby Marks, will join him immediately at ESPN. It is expected that other members of the Vertical staff will eventually join them at ESPN once their contracts with Yahoo! Sports expire.
Wojnarowski’s move to ESPN has been rumored for several months, and remained all but a done deal even as ESPN laid off several prominent NBA reporters and editors in April, including Marc Stein, Chad Ford and Henry Abbott. (Stein and Ford have remained on staff for the time being.)
“Woj is a breakthrough multimedia journalist and one of the most authoritative voices on the NBA,’’ said Rob King, ESPN senior vice president, SportsCenter, news and information said. “He has earned the respect of fans and peers with consistent excellence, impeccable journalistic credentials and a blend of work ethic, creativity and versatility. We are excited to have him join ESPN.”
