The five greatest "Woj Bombs" of Adrian Wojnarowski's illustrious career
With the NBA season only a month away, fans have just learned that his year, the NBA will feel vastly different than in years past. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (55), also known as Woj, is retiring from NBA reporting.
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— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 18, 2024
The esteemed NBA insider is calling it a career, opting for the general manager position for the men's basketball program at St. Bonaventure, Wojnarowski's alma mater.
"It is a thrill of a lifetime to be able to return to a university and community that I love..." Here's our @espn story on @wojespn retiring and taking the GM job at @BonniesMBB. w/@JeffPassan and @AdamSchefter. https://t.co/DgH1k21lhD
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 18, 2024
"I am retiring from a dream job at ESPN and am so incredibly grateful for my time and experiences with the World Wide Leader," said Wojnarowski. He had worked at ESPN since 2017, and previously worked for Yahoo! Sports and The Record of Bergen County in New Jersey.
During his tenure as an NBA reporter, Wojnarowski became synonymous with breaking news. Woj would often be the first to report on massive trades, free agent signings, and all-around general NBA news. He'd drop breaking, impactful news so often that his tweets were often referred to as "Woj bombs" because of how he'd drop the news and set NBA Twitter ablaze.
However, some of his tweets were more impactful than others. Whether he was trying to get an edge over The Athletic's Shams Charania or just looking to be the best at what he does, Woj gifted sports fans numerous unforgettable moments while scrolling through our social media feeds. Here are the five greatest Woj bombs of all-time.
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Greatest Woj bombs of all-time:
Honorable Mentions:
Brooklyn is making a clean sweep tonight: Brooklyn will sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
There was once a time when the NBA wasn't used to massive signings on the same day. However, the 2019 offseason saw one of the biggest such days when the Brooklyn Nets landed both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. DeAndre Jordan is there too, but that didn't matter.
Good lord.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2015
Not exactly a Woj bomb, since no news was revealed, but Woj tweeted this during a rather slow 2015 NBA trade deadline. Then, out of nowhere, this gets dropped, and fans across the league started biting their nails in anticipation for what was about to happen. About ten minutes later, numerous trades broke involving impact players like Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Garnett, JaVale McGee, Reggie Jackson, and Goran Dragic.
5) Anthony Davis to the Lakers:
The Pelicans have agreed to a deal to trade Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks – including the No. 4 overall in 2019 Draft, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 15, 2019
Everyone suspected it, and believed tampering was involved between LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Still, when news of this team-up broke, the internet was shocked at the potential that a James-Davis pairing could bring. Unfortunately, the pair has only been able to win one championship together in LA.
4) Paul George to the Clippers:
Oklahoma City is trading All-Star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 6, 2019
Where the Anthony Davis trade had long been speculated, this Paul George trade came out of the blue for most people. George was just 29 years old at the time and was coming off a season where he finished third in MVP voting. Also, Woj was not kidding when he mentioned a "record-setting" collection of draft picks. This trade played a major role in the Thunder turning into NBA contenders in 2023.
3) The truth behind the Chris Paul trade that never was:
NBA owners have pushed commissioner David Stern to kill the deal sending Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell Y! Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 9, 2011
The Chris Paul trade that never was is a legend among NBA circles. However, before this tweet, the conspiracy that the trade was vetoed by NBA owners was just that, a conspiracy. Woj pulled the curtain back on this trade, revealing that it was in fact the truth.
2) The beginning of the end for the 2020 season
Jazz star Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for the coronavirus, league sources tell ESPN. Jazz players privately say that Rudy Gobert had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings. Now a Jazz teammate has tested positive.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
This was just a teaser for what was about to unfold. We'd all seen the clips of Rudy Gobert touching every microphone he could see, and it turned into one of the worst days in sports history.
1) NBA suspends 2020 season due to COVID:
The NBA has suspended the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 12, 2020
This one just hit like a ton of bricks. No added information. No context, just the knowledge that COVID-19 had officially put the sports world on hold. This was the moment that many people realized just how big the COVID-19 threat was, and Wojnarowski's tweet collectively left the NBA world speechless for a few moments.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: With Adrian Wojnarowski retiring, here are the five greatest Woj Boms
