Adrian Wojnarowski, known to NBA fans as Woj, no longer makes his living as an ESPN insider. He retired from sports journalism in September 2024 and now works as general manager of the men’s basketball team at St. Bonaventure University, his alma mater.
That career change also changed his pay dramatically. At ESPN he was reportedly earning about $7 million a year. At St. Bonaventure, his reported salary is $75,000 a year.
At a Glance
- Current role: General manager, St. Bonaventure men’s basketball (since September 2024)
- Former role: Senior NBA Insider, ESPN (July 2017 to September 2024)
- Reported ESPN pay: About $7 million per year
- Reported pay left on ESPN deal: About $20 million over three years
- Reported St. Bonaventure pay: $75,000 per year
- Known for: Breaking NBA news, known as “Woj bombs”
How Much Did He Make at ESPN?
Wojnarowski’s exact ESPN contract was not published by ESPN itself. The figures below are reported figures, not an official disclosure.
In 2022, he signed a five-year ESPN contract extension. Reporting by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, later repeated by Puck’s John Ourand and other outlets, put that deal at about $7 million per year.
A Sports Illustrated profile later put the annual figure slightly higher, at $7.3 million. The difference reflects different reporting of the same deal, not two separate contracts.
When he retired in September 2024, Marchand reported that Wojnarowski had about three years and $20 million left on that ESPN contract. He walked away from that money to take the St. Bonaventure job.
In short:
| Period | Reported pay |
|---|---|
| ESPN, final contract | About $7 million per year |
| Remaining ESPN deal at retirement | About $20 million over three years |
| St. Bonaventure, general manager | $75,000 per year |
That is a pay cut of roughly 99 percent, a point Wojnarowski himself has acknowledged. He has said money was the only reason to stay at ESPN, and that was not a good enough reason.
What Does He Make Now at St. Bonaventure?
Wojnarowski was named the first-ever general manager of St. Bonaventure men’s basketball on September 18, 2024. He announced his retirement from ESPN and the news industry at the same time.
His reported St. Bonaventure salary is $75,000 per year, according to Sports Illustrated’s profile of his move and subsequent reporting.
His duties are very different from breaking NBA trades. At St. Bonaventure, his role covers:
- Name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities for players
- Working with collectives that support the program
- Transfer portal management
- Recruit, family and alumni player relationships
- Professional player programs
- Program fundraising
The job fits a long connection to the school. Wojnarowski graduated from St. Bonaventure in 1991 and had already been donating to its NIL efforts before taking the role.
How He Became the NBA’s Top Insider
Wojnarowski began his journalism career while still in school, working for the Hartford Courant near his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut. After college, he worked as a columnist for the Fresno Bee.
In 1997, he joined The Record in New Jersey. There he won Associated Press Sports Editors’ Columnist of the Year awards in 1997 and 2002.
He moved to Yahoo Sports full-time in 2007. His rapid-fire breaking-news reports became known as “Woj bombs” and made him the most followed NBA reporter of his era.
He joined ESPN on July 1, 2017, just before NBA free agency. He stayed for more than seven years as Senior NBA Insider. During that run, he won the National Sports Media Association’s National Sportswriter of the Year award three years in a row, from 2017 to 2019.
In 2025, he was named a recipient of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award for his journalism career.
The 2020 ESPN Suspension
Wojnarowski was suspended by ESPN for two weeks without pay in July 2020. The suspension followed a profane email reply he sent to Missouri Senator Josh Hawley.
Hawley had sent journalists a press release criticising the NBA’s approved social justice messages for player jerseys. Wojnarowski replied with a two-word expletive. Hawley posted a screenshot of the reply, and ESPN called the email unacceptable behaviour.
Wojnarowski apologised, said he regretted sending it, and accepted the suspension. He returned to NBA coverage when the suspension ended.
Why Did He Leave ESPN?
Wojnarowski has given a personal, not financial, explanation. He said he was tired of a life built around never missing a text or a call, and he wanted to give back to the university that shaped him.
There was also a health context he later shared. In a December 2024 Sports Illustrated profile, he revealed he had been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in March 2024. He said the diagnosis gave him perspective, but was not the driving force behind his decision to leave ESPN.
After leaving, he stayed connected to media in a limited way. In 2025, he launched a St. Bonaventure-focused YouTube series, “The Program with Woj,” aimed at raising NIL money for the program.
Shams Charania succeeded him as ESPN’s lead NBA insider. Reporting at the time said Charania would earn less than half of Wojnarowski’s ESPN pay.
What Is Adrian Wojnarowski’s Net Worth?
No reliable source has published a verified net-worth total for Wojnarowski, and this article does not present one as fact.
Some low-quality biography sites repeat a figure around $6 million, but they offer no asset breakdown or credible sourcing for it. A reported salary, even over many years, is not the same as a net worth, which would also depend on taxes, spending, savings and investments that are not publicly disclosed.
What is firmly reported is the pay contrast at the heart of his story: about $7 million a year at ESPN, given up for a $75,000-a-year college role he chose for personal reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adrian Wojnarowski still at ESPN?
No. He retired from ESPN and from sports journalism in September 2024.
What is Adrian Wojnarowski’s job now?
He is general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program, his alma mater.
How much did Adrian Wojnarowski make at ESPN?
He was reported to earn about $7 million per year under his final ESPN contract, with Sports Illustrated reporting $7.3 million.
How much does he make at St. Bonaventure?
His reported salary is $75,000 per year.
Who replaced Wojnarowski at ESPN?
Shams Charania took over as ESPN’s lead NBA insider after Wojnarowski retired.
