After seven years of providing NBA fans breaking news, lead ESPN NBA analyst, Adrian Wojnarowski has retired. Wojnarowski dropped his final “Woj Bomb”, by announcing his retirement across the NBA on September 18th this past month.
In his retirement post, Wojnarowski said “I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m no longer driven to make.” Woj has previously said that his consuming job has led him to do things such as taking his phone into the shower so he does not miss information in the event that important NBA news was to break. NBA fans were sad to hear him go like Nathienal Hamada ‘27, who said “It’s sad to see him go, as he informed me on a lot of different news that would make history.”
Woj announced that he would be taking the general manager role at his alma mater St. Bonaventure University. General managers are the people at the top of the chain of command, just below the owner, who oversees the day-to-day operations of a team. They also execute trades, sign players, and manage the team.
His retirement and hiring at St. Bonaventure shocked everyone in the sports world, including his friends and colleagues. Veteran basketball analyst and host of his own weekly SiriusXM radio show, Brian Geltzeiler reflected how “Woj was not only the best sports journalist of our time, he was also a force of nature in NBA circles and a power broker. He created an incredible brand but more importantly, he’s a wonderful human being. It’s an honor and privilege to call him a friend and I’m quite sure that he will turn St Bonaventure’s men’s basketball program into a powerhouse.” With all of his supporters behind him, Woj’s future as the GM of the men’s basketball team looks bright.
Taking a job, such as a GM, is most prominent in major sports, but is new to college athletics. The job was introduced as a result of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) having taken over college sports. College athletes are now getting paid millions, just based on their name. For example, New Jersey native Olivia Dunne, who is a gymnast for the LSU women’s team is making $3.9 million a year. Another example is Texas quarterback, Arch Manning, who is getting paid by sponsors at an estimated $2.8 million a year. Currently, Manning is the backup QB in Austin, but is making more money based on his last name alone, which carries a legacy like no other in football.
While sponsors pay a lot of money for college athletes to endorse or use their brand, colleges can get them more sponsors which is the reason for the GM role. This too can get sticky. Just recently, UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka left the team midseason because of an unpaid promise of $100,000 made by the offensive coordinator. UNLV never followed up on this and Sluka, a transfer from Holy Cross, only got paid $3,000. The school has denied all wrongdoing and says the demands are a violation of the pay-to-play rules set by the NCAA. Where the money was coming from isn’t known yet, but these gray areas of NIL’s first years are where Woj comes into play. Hopefully, he will make the right choices and continue the legacy he made himself by giving NBA and sports fans the news they’ve come to appreciate.
