"Devastated" - Stephen A. Smith bids goodbye to departing Adrian Wojnarowski with heartfelt farewell
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith wasted little time in paying tribute to his colleague Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. After the longtime NBA insider took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce that he would be parting ways with ESPN, and retiring from media duties, the NBA community was quick to flood social media with reactions to the news.
Many, including Stephen A. Smith from the sounds of things, were left stunned by Wojnarowski's announcement. Less than an hour after Wojnarowski announced his retirement from reporting and working in media, Smith wrote on X:
"Devastated! What a loss for us here at ESPN. The absolute best in the business, my man @wojespn. I’m gonna miss you, Buddy!"
The two had been staples at ESPN ever since Wojnarowski joined the network seven years ago. Since then, he not only supplied the network with a steady stream of insider information and breaking news but also made appearances on ESPN's TV programs and pre-game coverage.
With Woj's departure, there will now be a massive hole in ESPN's NBA coverage that will be hard for the network to fill.
Stephen A. Smith hails Adrian Wojnarowski as "best in the business" on ESPN's First Take moments after announcement
While Stephen A. Smith took the time to write a heartfelt message on X regarding Adrian Wojnarowski's retirement from news and media, he also weighed in on the topic on First Take.
When Wojnarowski dropped his announcement, Smith was live on First Take along with Molly Qerim and 'Mad Dog' Chris Russo.
The trio shared their thoughts, with Smith praising Wojnarowski for his coverage day in and day out over the past few years since joining ESPN:
"I've gotten to know Woj over the last couple of years working on NBA Countdown. He's the best in the business. Make no mistake about it. Nobody's more well-connected, nobody's more respected.
"And to be around him and ... to be able to touch on a wealth of knowledge that he's had in all of his years covering the league. The CONTACTS that he has, the inside information that he's had. He's led this place for quite a long time."
According to a report from Adam Schefter, while Woj is retiring from news and media, he has agreed to become the GM of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball program, meaning he will still be tied to the game even if it isn't the NBA.