Fansided

ESPN set to hire Adrian Wojnarowski as lead NBA reporter

By Trey Daubert

Mar 2, 2017; Boulder, CO, USA; General view of an ESPN broadcast microphone before the game between the Stanford Cardinal against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2017; Boulder, CO, USA; General view of an ESPN broadcast microphone before the game between the Stanford Cardinal against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

ESPN will reportedly hired Adrian Wojnarowski as their top NBA reporter. The rest of the Vertical team is expected to also join ESPN.

It’s a Woj Bomb! Except this time, the news is actually about Adrian Wojnarowski. After ESPN decided to layoff a number of familiar faces, it has been reported that they will hire the most connected basketball reporter on the planet. ESPN had a pretty simple strategy here; if you can’t beat him go and grab him. It’s safe to say ESPN had enough of Woj upstaging the prestigious company the past few years.

Peter Kafka of recode.net has reported that to Woj will officially join ESPN. Rodger Sherman of the Ringer had an interesting perspective on the hire.

The Recode report also states that Woj is expected to join the company before the start of the NBA Draft, which is scheduled to take place June 22nd. Woj previously worked for the Vertical, a digital enterprise created just for him by Yahoo Sports, but is not about to leave his former colleagues behind. Chris Mannix, Bobby Marks, Shams Charania, and Jonathan Givony have all been rumored to be joining ESPN as well.

The move to hire Woj and the rest of his team comes as little surprise. Chad Ford, Marc Stein, Calvin Watkins, and Justin Verrier were just some of the recent NBA layoffs at ESPN.

ESPN has likely been eyeing this for quite some time, especially after the Vertical put together a much better product during the 2016 NBA Draft.

Next: 30 best shots in NBA playoffs history

For Woj the move to ESPN just makes sense. After Verizon’s acquisition of Yahoo, the status of the company was very unclear. Verizon is set to purchase Yahoo for $4.5 Billion in June of this year. Unfortunately for Verizon, Yahoo’s biggest star will not come with the deal. Under the new deal, Yahoo is expected to be rebranded under a new name called Altaba.

Home/NBA