Adrian Wojnarowski stunned the sports world last year when he announced he was parting ways with ESPN. He then stepped into a new role as the general manager of St. Bonaventure’s men’s basketball program. This move, which shocked many given Woj’s established position at ESPN, came with a significant sacrifice.
Woj walked away from his lucrative $20 million contract with the network. In the wake of Woj’s departure, Athetics’ Shams Charania was hired as ESPN’s new senior NBA insider.
However, a recent report from Bruce Schoenfeld of The New York Times has shed light on the dramatic shift in Woj’s salary since leaving ESPN. According to Schoenfeld, Wojnarowski now earns a fraction of what he once did. Reportedly, he is making just 1 percent of his previous salary.
This means that Woj, now in his role at St. Bonaventure is reportedly earning roughly $75,000. It’s a far cry from the $20 million he walked away from at ESPN.
Bruce Schoenfeld Reveals Adrian Wojnarowski’s Motivations For Leaving ESPN
Schoenfeld highlighted the reasons behind Adrian Wojnarowski’s bold move. He wrote that Woj has spent much of his career immersed in other people’s teams, reporting on their victories and challenges. Now, with St. Bonaventure basketball, Woj is finally working for a team that is his own.
“When he is asked why he would walk away from $20 million still left on his ESPN contract to spend his days driving through the snow to half-empty arenas, this is what he tries to explain. A reporter his entire adult life, he has immersed himself in other people’s teams. St. Bonaventure basketball is his team. And as the ground continues to shift beneath college sports, perhaps only he can save it,” Schoenfeld wrote.
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It’s clear that for Woj, the chance to build something meaningful from the ground up outweighed the financial rewards of his former job. His move represents a new chapter that combines his passion for basketball with his desire to influence the next generation of athletes and college sports as a whole.
