STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
A tireless sports journalist is quitting. NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, or just Woj to his fans, was a scoop machine for ESPN.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So let's bring in the man who doesn't sleep because he has two phones, always tracking the latest in the NBA.
INSKEEP: Over his career, Woj broke all kinds of news about draft picks and trades big and small.
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CASSIDY HUBBARTH: What more can you tell us?
ADRIAN WOJNAROWSKI: Cassidy, a big one. The Washington Wizards have agreed to send Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole and two future...
INSKEEP: That scoop from the summer of 2023 and many others made Woj $7 million per year reportedly, and now he's walking away from it all to become the general manager for a college basketball team at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University in upstate New York. Let's talk this over with NPR's Rafael Nam, who has not quit yet, right? You haven't walked away from the job?
RAFAEL NAM, BYLINE: I have not.
INSKEEP: OK, good. Glad you're on it. Glad you're on it. He left with three years left in his contract, presumably millions of dollars. Why?
NAM: Just burnout. In a statement on X, he talked about wanting to spend more time doing something more personally meaningful with his life.
INSKEEP: OK.
NAM: And the decision seemed to surprise even his own employer, ESPN, although in a statement, the company's chairman said they understood. And yes, it seems crazy. You're walking away from that much money. But you have to understand how ferociously competitive journalism in sports has become. Woj was like the Michael Jordan of sports scoops. He was attached to his phone all the time. I mean, literally, he must have been the worst dinner guest ever.
INSKEEP: (Laughter)
NAM: His scoops even had a name. The name was Woj bombs.
INSKEEP: Although this is information that you're going to find out eventually anyway. It's just finding out a little bit early. Why was this so valuable for ESPN?
NAM: Because they got so much attention. Woj primarily posted his scoops on X - not even on ESPN, his employer. But those scoops became widely followed. He has 6.5 million followers in X. And those scoops would generate traffic to ESPN's broadcasts, but more importantly to its digital platforms. Not only that, he was especially popular with that younger audience, and that's a very, very lucrative audience for ESPN.
INSKEEP: Oh, this is very interesting because younger people are not necessarily on TV...
NAM: That's right.
INSKEEP: ...Traditional TV, cable TV. So he's expanding ESPN's brand to people who may not be that familiar with it.
NAM: That's right. I mean, ESPN is facing a challenging environment in the traditional business, cable TV. And it's trying to launch a new digital platform for sports with some of its rivals. And it's hard to put dollars and cents to how much ESPN actually earned from these Woj bombs. But clearly he was worth the money. And it wasn't only ESPN. It was also a benefit to the NBA and even the legal betting system.
INSKEEP: How was he a benefit to gamblers?
NAM: So, yes, take the illegal betting system. I mean, think about drafts. His scoops could shift the wagers on who was going to be drafted by whom. So - and that's a lot of money. So, yes, Woj was handsomely paid, but his scoops also showcase just how valuable he and other reporters have become.
INSKEEP: Wow. OK, so it was a business, and he was part of the business, but no more. NPR's Rafael Nam, thanks so much.
NAM: Thank you, Steve.
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