Before the start of the NBA season, longtime ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski divulged that he was retiring from the company and taking a new job with his alma mater. Wojnarowski became the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program, garnering responsibilities pertaining to the transfer portal, NIL and recruiting among other ventures. In a message regarding his retirement from ESPN, Wojnarowski cited that time is not in endless supply and that he wanted to spend his “in ways that are more personally meaningful.”
During a recent interview with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Wojnarowski revealed that line referred to a diagnosis of prostate cancer he had received in March following a biopsy. His doctor recommended the test after his physical outlined an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and nothing showed up through an MRI. Wojnarowski discovered his cancer diagnosis just minutes before appearing remotely on NBA Countdown, but he was still able to complete the television hit.
The current treatment Wojnarowski is receiving is active surveillance, going to quarterly checkups and regularly monitoring his condition. He does not currently have any symptoms and told Mannix that the prostate cancer is “pretty limited in scope.” Doctors have instructed him to improve his eating habits, increase his exercise and receive better sleep. Although surgery remains a possibility, doctors have informed Wojnarowski that the only reason to have it would be to ease a potential mental burden of having the cancer inside of his body.
“When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man,” Wojnarowski said. “Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing.”
Wojnarowski did not decide to leave ESPN because of his cancer, he explained, but he did gain perspective when traveling to Rogers, Ark. to attend a memorial for Chris Mortensen, who passed away earlier this year from throat cancer. Mortensen was one of the first people to welcome Wojnarowski to ESPN in 2017, and several ESPN employees made the trip to honor their longtime colleague. He was surprised, however, by the amount of people who did not travel to Arkansas to attend the memorial.
“It made me remember that the job isn’t everything,” Wojnarowski said. “In the end it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a s—. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor.”
When Wojnarowski called ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro to inform him of his decision, he was asked if he would be interested in staying on with the company in a different role. Pitaro suggested that he could return to NBA Countdown for the playoffs, but Wojnarowski felt that the audience deserved someone who was fully immersed in the league. As a result, he felt he did not have value anymore and decided to walk away.
“Jimmy was great,” Wojnarowski said. “But the only reason to stay was the money. That wasn’t a good enough reason.”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
