Adrian Wojnarowski, a former NBA insider for ESPN, received a prostate cancer diagnosis in March, six months prior to his abrupt departure from the network.
Wojnarowski made the announcement in a Sports Illustrated feature that was published on Thursday. He told SI’s Chris Mannix that a notable remark from his September retirement statement was referring to his cancer diagnosis.
“Time isn’t in endless supply,” Wojnarowski, 55, said in his statement.
According to SI, Wojnarowski’s blood tests from his checkup in February of last year showed an increased PSA, or prostate-specific antigen. Wojnarowski found out about the early-stage cancer diagnosis from a March biopsy only minutes before he was scheduled to appear on “NBA Countdown.”
However, Wojnarowski informed Mannix that the outlook is favorable.
“You picture it moving through your body like Pac-Man when you hear the word ‘cancer,'” Wojnarowski told Maddix. “Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing.”
According to SI, Wojnarowski is asymptomatic and receiving active surveillance as part of his treatment. It has been suggested that he should eat better, exercise more, and sleep better. According to SI, he could choose to have surgery, but only if he couldn’t emotionally handle the thought of having the cancer inside of him.
However, the profile claims that Wojnarowski’s retirement was not due to his illness.
“I didn t want to spend one more day of my life waiting on someone s MRI or hitting an agent at 1 a.m. about an ankle sprain,” Wojnarowski stated to Maddix.
In the newly created role of general manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, he earns only $75,000 annually, which is basically a 99% pay cut, despite leaving a $7.3 million annual income with ESPN. According to SI, the family of Wojnarowski was “ready for him to go.”
“Your family and close friends will be the only people involved in the end. Additionally, Wojnarowski told Maddix, “Nobody gives an s—.” “In the end, nobody remembers (breaking stories).” It’s only vapor.
Since then, ESPN has appointed Shams Charania, Wojnarowski’s former Yahoo Sports coworker, as its new NBA insider.
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