There's Nothing Like the Smell of a Woj Bomb in the Morning

There's never been a better time to be a high-profile insider as the public's consumption habits have created a very lucrative market. Adrian Wojnarowski, fresh off signing a significant extension with ESPN, continues to hone his craft and isn't about to loosen his vise grip on new and intriguing information. Still, when he drops in from the sky with major breaking news, it always seems unexpected and impactful. Hence the term Woj Bomb, which isn't my favorite but applies in this case to his report Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won his second consecutive NBA MVP Award.

What a way to begin a Monday morning before most people even get to work. Just in time for Get Up to rip up the rundown and debate this for the next 80 minutes. Just in time for people in Colorado to wake up to a notification and celebrate and people in Philadelphia to cry foul over Joel Embiid's snub.

Shams Charania, reporting Jokic's win last year, did it at 5:31 p.m. Way different vibe. That's late-afternoon/early evening Twitter. People are thinking about dinner. Or how much they hate their commute.

If you thought the debate over who should win this trophy was hot now, think of how raging it will be with several more days at the center of the frame. Imagine how strong the takes will be if Embiid leads the Sixers roaring back over the Heat.

It's instructive of how efficient the NBA is in creating a product and then creating conversation around the product. It seems like everything fits into a perfect little ecosystem that only drives engagement. And so many times all it starts with the insider and their latest report. This is how the sausage gets made and the good news — for now — is that there's plenty enough to go around to keep everyone fat and juicy on delicious content.