Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the world when he announced that he was departing from ESPN to work for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.
The NBA insider has broken some of the biggest stories in the basketball world during his time as a reporter. He will leave impossibly large shoes to fill, as evidenced by the outpouring of tributes left for him as he moves into this next chapter of his career.
Many speculate that the job could go to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, a former protege of Woj who worked alongside him during their time at Yahoo. But if ESPN doesn’t make that hire, who else could get the nod?
There are some tremendously talented and well-connected folks on the NBA desk at ESPN like Ramona Shelburne and Zach Lowe, but many of them are doing excellent work and a change of direction may not make a ton of sense.
Meanwhile, here are a few other likely internal and external candidates.
1. Brian Windhorst, ESPN
If the decision makers at ESPN decide to keep the job internal, a likely option is veteran reporter Brian Windhorst. Already the host of The Hoop Collectivepodcast and a regular on their TV programming, Windhorst is no stranger to breaking news and creating viral moments.
2. Chris Haynes, Turner Sports (previously)
The most logical external hire aside from Charania is absolutely Chris Haynes, who has enjoyed a successful career both as a writer and on TV. He has had various stops along the way, including at ESPN, and he is currently a sports media free agent after his contract elapsed with TNT. Haynes is one of the most “likely” people to get a look from ESPN, per Front Office Sports.
3. Tim Bontemps, ESPN
Aside from Windhorst, another legitimate candidate who could get an internal look from ESPN is their colleague Tim Bontemps. A longtime national NBA reporter for The Washington Post, he has done very well during his time at the Worldwide Leader. Additionally, like Woj, he also attended St. Bonaventure and often gets retweets from Wojnarowski.
4. Marc Stein, The Stein Line
Perhaps a reunion with ESPN is unlikely, especially after Marc Stein recently announced that he would join AllCity’s Dallas vertical. But it is clear that he is one of the most established reporters in the industry, especially with the stellar work he has done for his Substack. He is absolutely worthy of at least some consideration for a job like this one if they want a trusted veteran.
5. Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports
One more name to add to the list of potential candidates ESPN assuredly has on its radar is Jake Fischer. He has made a rapid rise from Sports Illustrated to Bleacher Report and now at Yahoo, he is widely considered one of the best younger reporters covering the league at large. Even if he started out in a smaller role and not one as a “replacement” for Woj, it would be a valuable addition for someone capable of both breaking news and writing engaging longform.
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