If you’re a die-hard NBA fan, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski is a must-follow on Twitter. Along with The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Wojnarowski is one of the best sources of breaking news across the league, and it’s highly likely that he’ll be one of the first to share news of free agency decisions or blockbuster trades.
On NBA draft night, however, some fans go as far as to mute Wojnarowski and Charania to avoid spoilers. For several years now, insiders like Woj and Shams have been tweeting draft picks before they are announced on TV, citing their sources within different organizations. For some, seeing a team’s decision on Twitter before Adam Silver reveals the pick is a bit anti-climactic, and there’s an argument to be made that reporting picks ahead of time could hurt ESPN’s ratings. Why watch if you’ll be the first to know on Twitter?
Back in 2018, it was reported that ESPN instructed its reporters not to spoil picks before they were announced on air – but Wojnarowski found a loophole that allowed him to informally announce every pick using creative language. Instead of tweeting that the Bulls are selecting Wendell Carter, for example, Wok tweeted that “Chicago is zeroing in,” or that Orlando is “focused on” a particular player. The practice has spawned plenty of memes over the last few years, but for fans who don’t want the latest draft news, they can choose to log off Twitter or mute Woj during the event.
On Thursday, however, some six hours before the start of the 2021 NBA draft, Wojnarowski had already reported the first three picks.
With Cade Cunningham a solid No. 1 to Detroit now, Houston and Cleveland continue to trend toward Jalen Green and Evan Mobley with the second and third picks, respectively, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 29, 2021
Here’s what NBA fans had to say about Wojnarowski sharing picks so early: