ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan has emerged as a candidate to switch beats and replace Adrian Wojnarowski’s NBA duties.
Earlier this month, the iconic NBA insider resigned from his position and left journalism entirely to become general manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.
In the wake of Wojnarowski’s departure, Passan is considered the NBA’s top news breaker at ESPN, according to six anonymous sources on the discussion. The Athletics.
While the replacement is not yet concrete, ESPN has other NBA insiders Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps on their payroll.
Wojnarowski’s former mentee and The Athletic NBA Insider Shams Charania is another top candidate for the job. ESPN declined Athletic’s request for comment.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan has emerged as a candidate to replace Adrian Wojnarowski
Wojnarowski unexpectedly retired from journalism to work for his alma mater St. Bonaventure
Passan followed the same path as Wojnarowski by becoming a top insider at Yahoo Sports before moving to ESPN. Passan reportedly earns around $1 million a year.
On the other hand, Wojnarowski left $20 million on his contract with ESPN to strike a $7 million per season deal with his alma mater.
In addition to potentially getting a raise, his supposed role change comes as ESPN and the NBA agreed to an 11-year extension for the network to host the NBA Finals.
While basketball continues to thrive at the Worldwide Leader in Sports, their MLB partnership is on shaky ground. While ESPN could stay in the MLB business, longevity isn’t guaranteed. It has an opt-out in its current contract, which is $540 million per season, which it is expected to exercise or threaten to exercise by the end of next season.
Should Passan trade the dirt for the field, ESPN has other baseball insiders Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers. According to The Athletic’s sources, Passan is aware of the interest but remains undecided.
Athletic’s Shams Charania is also in serious contention to fill the vacancy at ESPN
Charania, whose contract with The Athletic is expiring, is also receiving interest from new NBA rights holder NBC, according to the sources. FanDuelTV would also like to continue with the NBA insider.
Charania previously worked for Stadium and recently signed on to add his voice to NBA 2k.
While The Athletic hopes to retain Charania, he has the backing of Pat McAfee at ESPN as he regularly appears on the latter’s show.
“We are not at all surprised by the interest in Shams, whose indispensable reporting on the NBA and its most important players continues to set the pace,” Steven Ginsberg, editor-in-chief of The Athletic, said in a statement. “We are proud to have him as our colleague and want to ensure he remains with The Athletic for years to come.”