Could a “Passan bomb” replace the “Woj bomb” for breaking NBA news?
In a stunning revelation, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports MLB insider Jeff Passan is a leading candidate to replace Adrian Wojnarowski on the NBA beat at ESPN.
The new GM of @BonniesMBB spends his free time watching BP with @BonniesBaseball. pic.twitter.com/gUlXjwJzhe
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 27, 2024
Related: ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski drops one final ‘Woj bomb’ announcing retirement
This news comes as ESPN laid off NBA senior writer Zach Lowe earlier this week.
According to Marchand, “While Passan is aware of the interest, according to those briefed on the internal conversations, it is not known if he would agree to the switch if offered.”
It would be a major shift if Passan moves to NBA coverage. Passan has been a trusted voice and MLB news breaker for years at ESPN, and Yahoo Sports before that. ESPN has baseball reporters like Buster Olney, Jesse Rogers, and Tim Kurkjian in-house, but they usually aren’t the first on breaking news stories like Passan is.
However, if Passan does make the jump, he would presumably make more than the reported $1 million he earns yearly. Adrian Wojnarowski reportedly made up to $7 million annually and had $20 million left on his contract when he retired from the news industry to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater.
“This craft transformed my life, but I’ve decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it’s an investment that I’m no longer driven to make,” Wojnarowski said in a statement. “Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.”
On ESPN’s NBA writer side, they still have Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst, and Tim Bontemps.
What about Shams Charania?
Marchand reports that ESPN still considers The Athletic’s Shams Charania a top candidate for the job, as well. Charania will soon be a free agent as his contract with The Athletic is coming to an end.
Shams Charania and Jeff Passan are “leading candidates” to replace Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN, per @AndrewMarchand
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 28, 2024
👀 pic.twitter.com/N2miydilPH
The outlet is still hoping to re-sign Charania.
“We’re not at all surprised by the interest in Shams, whose indispensable coverage of the NBA and its key players continues to set the pace,” Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said in a statement to Marchand. “We’re proud to have him as our colleague and are committed to ensuring he stays with The Athletic for years to come.”
Charania, who broke the Karl-Anthony Towns trade to the New York Knicks late Friday night, isn’t a stranger to ESPN as he’s appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” multiple times.
Related: Sports media insider reveals who could replace Adrian Wojnarowski at ESPN