Adrian Wojnarowski Reveals He Was Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer Before Retiring
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVDecember 5, 2024
Former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March during an interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix that published Thursday.
Wojnarowski announced his retirement from breaking news in September with a message that included the line "Time isn't in endless supply, and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful."
He told Mannix "that was about the cancer" but also revealed his prognosis is "pretty limited in scope" and isn't dire.
"When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man," he said. "Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing."
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnAppreciate all the kind words and concern but I'm going to be fine. My goal in sharing a prostate cancer diagnosis is to encourage screening and testing among men. Early diagnosis will make all the difference for me —- and many others too. <a href="https://t.co/7xiGfC5RNw">https://t.co/7xiGfC5RNw</a>
Mannix provided more details, noting doctors are not currently recommending surgery and instead instructed him to improve his eating habits, exercise routine and sleep. Wojnarowski also made a remote appearance on ESPN's NBA Countdown just minutes after he learned that a biopsy revealed the cancer.
While the former news-breaker said he didn't leave ESPN because of the cancer, he did add, "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."
A trip to Arkansas to attend the memorial of NFL insider Chris Mortensen, who died in March after he was diagnosed with throat cancer, also provided more clarity.
"It made me remember that the job isn't everything," he said. "In the end it's just going to be your family and close friends. And it's also, like, nobody gives a s--t. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It's just vapor."
ESPN hired Shams Charania as its new NBA insider after Wojnarowski announced his retirement.
Wojnarowski and Charania previously worked together at Yahoo Sports and had become synonymous with breaking NBA stories in real time.
As for Wojnarowski, he returned to his alma mater to become the general manager for St. Bonaventure's men's basketball team.
And the Bonnies are off to an excellent start in his first season. They improved to 8-1 on the campaign with Wednesday's 64-47 victory over Bucknell and have notable games against Providence and VCU later this month.
