Adam Schefter could replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN's 'ultimate insider'
By Joe Lago
Adrian Wojnarowski presumably retired as ESPN's NBA insider because he no longer wanted to be on his cellphone 24/7. Apparently, Adam Schefter is interested in filling every second of every day breaking news in the NFL and in the NBA.
It sounds impossible without the help of cloning, but Front Office Sports reported Monday that Schefter, ESPN's senior NFL insider, could be a candidate to replace Wojnarowski as the network's NBA insider.
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Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy reported that the 57-year-old Schefter would operate as an "ultimate insider" for ESPN as its lead news breaker in the NFL and the NBA. Sources told McCarthy that there's mutual interest on both sides. ESPN is a broadcast partner with both leagues.
Last Saturday, Jeff Passan emerged as a potential successor to Wojnarowski, but ESPN's MLB insider would leave the baseball beat to immerse himself in NBA coverage. The network's uncertain future with MLB broadcast rights could prompt the 44-year-old Passan to switch leagues.
Wojnarowski's shocking decision to walk away from his dream job with the media giant based in Bristol, where he grew up, and become the general manager of the men's basketball team at St. Bonaventure, where he went to school, cast a spotlight on the daily rigors of his work schedule and the constant sacrifices his family would make to accommodate his nonstop reporting. Those who live in Wojnarowski's neighborhood knew he was working late by the light that was always on upstairs.
How could Passan or Schefter possibly take on the task of meeting the extraordinarily high bar set by Wojnarowski?
It reportedly would require mentoring from Wojnarowski, particularly in the case of Passan who has spent the last two decades covering MLB. Also, Wojnarowski, who became the NBA's preeminent reporter at Yahoo Sports after years of covering college basketball, could conceivably aid Passan or Schefter by introducing them to his basketball contacts.
Schefter, known to have a "closet addiction" to the NBA, has worked as a basketball sideline reporter for ESPN. So a crash course into the Association wouldn't be necessary.
“Adam’s the best insider there is; the best who’s ever done it,” a source told Front Office Sports. “If you’re going to replace (Woj), why not think about doing it with the best?”
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