After our item Monday about JA Adande saying no to Sports Illustrated and instead taking his pen over to ESPN, a reader was kind enough to send us the email address of the former LA Times columnist. We dropped him a line to ask for comment on his decision, and today, he responded. After the jump, we’ve reprinted the email he sent us in its entirety. Adande confirms that yes, he was in talks with Sports Illustrated, he is going to ESPN.com, and tosses in a few interesting tidbits we didn’t know, such as: Michael Wilbon also turned down Sports Illustrated once (forgive us if that’s common knowledge). After his email, we have one final comment to make:

“I wouldn’t say I “turned down” Sports Illustrated because I’m not sure it ever came to a formal offer. Yes, Sports Illustrated Managing Editor Terry McDonell called me when he found out I was leaving the Times. I was flattered that SI would think of me, and McDonell had some intriguing ideas for what I could do for them. But I couldn’t continue to appear on “Around the Horn” in that scenario.

I realized how much fun I have doing “Around the Horn.” It’s more work than you see, but for the hour that I sit in the chair while we’re taping I have a great time. How many jobs can you say that about?

I’ll miss out on the chance to write for the greatest writing brand in the history of sports journalism, but I’ll still get the chance to write for a large audience at espn.com, if and when the deal gets finalized. The recognition from ATH is nice, but it’s much more satisfying when people tell me they enjoy reading my columns.

I don’t know where you got the notion that I’ll be sitting on my couch. I’ve never been that type of columnist, and at ESPN I would continue to travel, go to events and talk to people. And although I would be writing primarily about the NBA, I wouldn’t be writing about it exclusively. Regardless of how many people write for any part of the web site, if you’re compelling and informative, you’ll be read. That’s my challenge and responsibility wherever I work.

The notion that me not coming to Sports Illustrated is “devastating” is laughable. My friend and mentor Michael Wilbon once turned down SI and the magazine kept publishing. They have great writers and will continue to add to that collection.

My decisions are a reflection on me, not necessarily the state of the industry. I have a chance to do things that I want, get paid pretty well, and I’m choosing that path.

Finally, I want to say that if it hadn’t been for the pioneering Larry Whiteside, the long-time Boston Globe writer who passed away last week, none of us African-American sportswriters would have these tremendous opportunities that have come our way. Sides opened the doors through his integrity and compassion and is personally responsible for the success of the generation that followed him. I was lucky to know him from the beginning of my career. I owe him and I miss him.€

Ok, it’s us again. On ‘devastation:’ It’s not so much Adande’s rejection that’s devastating to SI, but the overall ramifications of a young(ish) minority saying no to a magazine that not-too-long-ago ruled the sportsworld. Of course SI still has a menagerie of talented writers, but if you look at the departures in the last two years, many of them are young, and several of them are minorities. We don’t have an SI handy to scroll the masthead, but we’re fairly certain there’s lack of diversity on the staff, especially when it comes to writers and top editors.