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Adam Schefter on Adrian Wojnarowski's retirement: He wanted his life back

“He wanted his life back,” Adam Schefter told NBA Today host Malika Andrews. “He didn’t want to have to work on holidays. He didn’t want to be away from more family gatherings. He didn’t want to have to…take a shower with your phone up against the shower door so you can see a text that’s coming in or take your phone with you to the urinal and hold it in one hand while you take care of your business in the other. That’s the life that we live. And that was the life that we chose not to do any longer because it takes over your life.”
10 hours ago – via Awful Announcing

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The Worldwide Leader now has a void when it comes to its top NBA insider position, and it didn’t take long for Pat McAfee to make an impassioned case for who should fill it. “The universe just pieced this thing together seemingly: Shams Charania,” McAfee said. “Sham Charania’s the answer. I know there’s conversations happening. People are going to say that this is obviously who we are going to say. But if you take our bias out of this conversation, there’s only one answer, it’s Shams Charania.”
13 hours ago – via Awful Announcing

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Brian Moritz: Back in my first year at teaching SUNY Oswego, I asked Woj if he would be willing to guest speak to my sports writing class. I have a lot of guest speakers and figured he (like most) would Skype into class. Woj didn’t Skype in. He flew from Florida (where he was on assignment) to Syracuse and drove to Oswego, on his own dime, to spend the day with my students. At one point in my sports journalism class, he got a call on from a source with the Memphis Grizzlies. Not breaking news, just the kind of check ins that make Woj the best reporter on the beat. He answered the call in class, told him where he was. “Tell them we’re trading Gasol,” he said his source told him. My students learned more from Woj that one day then they probably did the rest of the semester from me.
13 hours ago – via Sports Media Guy

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14 hours ago – via malika_andrews

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The sports media world is gearing up for a gold rush on TV and digital talent. The NBA’s signing of media-rights deals worth $77 billion over 11 years sets the stage for the biggest hoops hiring spree in decades. Careers will rise and fall as multimillion-dollar contracts get dished out. Chess players are making their opening moves. NBA rights partners Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon Prime Video are already eyeing potential talent hires among analysts, play-by-play announcers, reporters, and producers, Front Office Sports has learned. Candidates are working their contacts—and putting their agents on speed dial. TNT Sports is preparing for what could be its final season of NBA coverage after a 40-year relationship. The company has Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson signed to long-term contracts. But would the network (which is currently suing the NBA to keep its rights) stand in its way if one or more of that foursome wants to explore the greener pastures of free agency? Especially given parent Warner Bros. Discovery is saddled with $40 billion in debt?
15 hours ago – via Front Office Sports

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So what happens next? Aside from TNT, let’s zero in on the three main players slated to split NBA rights into the 2030s: incumbent Disney, NBC, and Prime Video. The Front-Runners Start with ESPN, which will pay $2.6 billion a year to maintain the league’s “A” package, including exclusive rights to the NBA Finals. Given that ESPN has a 22-year relationship with the league, it’s in the best shape. But Magnus has some key decisions to make with his No. 1 announcing team.
15 hours ago – via Front Office Sports

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ESPN has a loaded bench of NBA insiders and analysts, including Brian Windhorst, Zach Lowe, Bobby Marks, Marc J. Spears, and Tim Bontemps. But none of them match the influence of Wojnarowski, with his 6.5 million followers. My sources tell me ESPN will likely talk to Shams Charania, Wojanrowski’s former Yahoo Sports protégé, and former ESPNer Chris Haynes. Both are pending free agents, according to the New York Post. The 30-year-old Charania’s deals with The Athletic, Stadium, and FanDuel are all up. Ditto for the 42-year-old Haynes, who has plenty of on-camera experience at TNT.
15 hours ago – via Front Office Sports

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