Adrian Wojnarowski suddenly announced his retirement Wednesday, capping a 37-year journalism career where he became the most well-known NBA reporter in the world. While he delivered plenty of his patented “Woj bombs” about the Golden State Warriors, he was a league-wide sensation, seemingly knowing every trade, signing, and draft pick before they happened. You could argue that Woj is the reporter most responsible for the transaction-dominated, 12-months-a-year NBA discourse that dominates the basketball landscape.
Woj was really good at it. In an era of access journalism, Wojnarowski had the best access, the most sources, and the ruthlessness to barter information and favorable coverage so he could become the first to get news.