Stephen A. Smith Confirms ESPN “Didn’t Ask Adrian Wojnarowski to Leave”

ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski announced that he is retiring from ESPN and leaving the news industry after 37 years. He joined the company in 2017 and has been among the network’s most revered employees. The unexpected news prompted speculation about whether he had a falling out with ESPN or if they wanted to part ways with the veteran journalist. However, Stephen A. Smith confirmed it’s neither.

After Wojnarowski’s surprise revelation, Smith paid homage to his former colleague on First Take and revealed he decided to leave at his behest. He said,

“He has my profound respect and I just hope that this is a very very happy move and I anticipate that it is because we certainly didn’t ask him to leave, I can assure you of that.”

The journalist is quitting the news industry but will stay in sports. He has agreed a deal to become the new general manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University. He’ll handle NIL allocation, recruiting and assist head coach Mark Schmidt.

The 56-year-old added he was grateful that he got the chance to work with someone as driven as Wojnarowski and wished him luck in his future endeavors. “If anybody deserves to be in a position to make this kind of decision for the betterment of their quality of life, he would be that individual…I’m happy for him but I’m sad for us as a network because it’s a devastating loss for us to not have him,” he said.

Wojnarowski was arguably the most revered NBA Insider in the business. This decision from him will now create space for the likes of Shams Charania and Chris Haynes who have been doing the same job for a long time.

Shams Charania and Chris Haynes could be possible replacements for Adrian Wojnarowski

The lineup of NBA Insiders at ESPN boasts the likes of Brian Windhorst, Zach Lowe, Bobby Marks, Marc J. Spears, and Tim Bontemps. However, Wojnarowski held a special place within the company because of his unparalleled reach and decades of experience. With him stepping away from his job, ESPN will be looking to replace him with someone of the same caliber.

Shams Charania has been Wojnarowski’s direct competitor for the last few years. According to the New York Post, his current contract with The Athletic is going to expire this year and this will create a lot of buzz in the market in the next few months. Charania will not only be a worthy replacement but will also prove to be beneficial for the company.

Other than him, Chris Haynes is also in contention to be an NBA Insider for ESPN. According to the sources of Front Office Sports, he is being looked at as Wojnarowski’s replacement alongside Charania.