Adrian Wojnarowski, the former lead NBA reporter for ESPN, stepped down from the role earlier this year to become the general manager of his alma mater’s men’s basketball team, St. Bonaventure. In a new interview, Wojnarowski, lovingly referred to as Woj by his colleagues and readers, shared that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is monitoring his health carefully.
Woj sat down with Sports Illustrated and shared with the publication what his next steps in life are after many years as ESPN’s top NBA insider. Woj was one of the leading sports reporters covering the NBA due to his ability to obtain breaking news ahead of other outlets and his sources offered reliable tips that led to published stories.
In the SI piece, Wojnarowski does reveal that while the diagnosis was indeed jarring, it wasn’t the reason he stepped away from his coveted role at ESPN. Instead, he framed it as a moment of clarity.
From SI:
The prognosis, Woj says, is good. “When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man,” Woj says. “Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing.” He has no symptoms and says the cancer is “pretty limited in scope.” Active surveillance is the current treatment, which translates to quarterly checkups and regular monitoring. He’s been instructed to improve his eating habits, exercise more and get better sleep. Surgery is still a possibility, but for now doctors say the only reason to have it is if he can’t mentally deal with having the cancer inside him.
The sobering news aside, Wojnarowski also stated that he intends to enjoy life more and realizes that time is fleeting. One of his former ESPN colleagues, NFL insider Chris Mortensen, died in March of this year from throat cancer. After attending a memorial service for Mortensen in Arkansas this past May, the moment hammered home to Wojnarowski how unimportant the job was in comparison to spending time with loved ones.
“In the end, it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a sh*t. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor,” Woj said.
Amen to that.
To read the full Sports Illustrated profile on Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski, click here.
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Photo: Getty
