Revisiting retired NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski's 5 biggest "Woj Bombs" of all-time
Longtime NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski left the NBA community baffled on Wednesday when he announced that he would be retiring from news and reporting. As he explained in his retirement announcement, the role of being one of, if not the single biggest, NBA insider is one that he no longer has the drive for.
As other insiders such as Shams Charania, who once revealed he has an average of 19+ hours of screen time per day on his phone, and Chris Haynes have explained in the past, being an NBA insider is a round-the-clock job.
During the seven years Adrian Wojnarowski spent with ESPN, he repeatedly delivered the biggest breaking news to fans via social media regardless of the time of day. These breaking pieces of news came to be known as "Woj Bombs", with fans eagerly awaiting the biggest stories from him.
On the heels of his retirement, let's take a look at Adrian Wojnarowski's five biggest "Woj Bombs" of all time.
Looking at Adrian Wojnarowski's 5 biggest "Woj Bombs" of all time
#5 Kevin Durant to Golden State (4, Jul. 2016)
When Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors, he immediately sparked widespread criticism as fans questioned why the former MVP would join the team he and the OKC Thunder lost to in the playoffs after securing a 3-1 series lead.
When Woj took to X (formerly Twitter), the NBA community immediately began to debate the move. From social media users to on-air TV personalities like Stephen A. Smith, the news that Durant would be joining Golden State was one of the biggest pieces of news Wojnarowski had ever dropped.
#4 Anthony Davis trade (15, Jun. 2019)
When LeBron James arrived in LA, the team's front office made a blockbuster trade to acquire Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans the following offseason. The trade saw LA break up its young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, while also sending a slew of picks to New Orleans.
The post racked up 119,000 retweets as fans theorized about what the trade would mean for both teams. What fans didn't know at the time was that James and Davis would win a championship together in their very first season together.
#3 LeBron James signs with the LA Lakers (1, Jun. 2018)
After bringing a championship to Cleveland with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love during the 2015-16 season, James and the Cavaliers struggled to replicate the same magic over the next two seasons. Following a 2017-18 season that saw Cleveland get swept by the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James signed with the LA Lakers.
When Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news, announcing a four-year deal worth $154 million with LA, the post racked up a whopping 146,000 retweets.
#2 The death of Kobe Bryant (26, Jan. 2020)
News of Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash rocked the NBA community to its core. Initially, rumors and theories were flying left and right regarding the situation, and who was on board.
Amid the concern and uncertainty, Adrian Wojnarowski relayed news from his sources, confirming that the five-time NBA champion was killed in a helicopter crash. The post racked up 152,000 retweets as fans mourned the loss of the NBA legend and shared their heartfelt tributes in response.
#1 The NBA season is suspended (11, Mar. 2020)
On Mar. 11, 2020, the NBA confirmed that amid an uptick of serious cases at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league would be suspending the season. This moment, for many fans, is considered to be one of the most jaw-dropping in NBA history.
Adrian Wojnarowski's breaking news report wound up getting 203,000 retweets, and racking up 332,000 likes as fans were left stunned. To date, no other post from Wojnarowski has racked up as many likes or retweets.