ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan has emerged as a candidate to switch sports and replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN’s NBA lead newsbreaker, six sources briefed on the discussions told The Athletic.
In the wake of Wojnarowski’s shock retirement, The Athletic’s Shams Charania is another top candidate for the job, according to those sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing search. ESPN has NBA insiders like Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps on its roster. It let go of ESPN NBA senior writer Zach Lowe this week.
ESPN declined comment.
Passan, 44, followed the same path as Wojnarowski by first becoming a top insider at Yahoo Sports before moving to ESPN. Passan makes in the neighborhood of $1 million per year, according to sources briefed on his contract. Wojnarowski left $20 million on his deal when he left journalism to become the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team. Wojnarowski was earning around $7 million per season.
Besides the potential for greater earnings for Passan, ESPN has a long-term relationship with the NBA as it just signed an 11-year extension to be the home of the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, ESPN’s marriage to baseball is in a tenuous stage. It has an opt-out in its current contract, which is for $540 million per season, that it is expected to use or threaten to use by the end of next season. While ESPN could stay in business with MLB, it is not guaranteed. ESPN has an interest in MLB’s local rights, which could be where the two sides come together.
Besides Passan, ESPN has insiders like Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers on baseball. While Passan is aware of the interest, according to those briefed on the internal conversations, it is not known if he would agree to the switch if offered.
Upon Wojnarowski’s retirement, ESPN executives have mentioned to him the option of becoming a consultant. If Passan were offered the job and agreed to it, Wojnarowski and ESPN analyst/ex-NBA GM Bobby Marks could serve as mentors. ESPN would probably have to account for a learning curve if it made such a move since Passan has limited experience in the NBA.
Some decision-makers at ESPN would like to reimagine the position of its top NBA insider. Passan not only breaks news on MLB but also writes longer-form stories. Wojnarowski once wrote a lot, but at ESPN, he mostly stuck to breaking news, along with TV and radio appearances.
Charania, 30, would be more of a plug-and-play hire for ESPN, as he competed directly with Wojnarowski. Charania, whose contract is up at The Athletic, also has interest from new NBA rightsholder NBC, according to the sources. FanDuel TV would also like to continue with Charania. He recently signed a deal to have his voice in NBA 2K. He previously worked for Stadium, as well, but is not returning to that outlet.
The Athletic hopes to retain Charania. At ESPN, Charania has the public backing of Pat McAfee, whose show Charania regularly appears on.
“We’re not at all surprised by the interest in Shams, whose indispensable coverage of the NBA and its key players continues to set the pace,” Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said in a statement. “We’re proud to have him as our colleague and are committed to ensuring he stays with The Athletic for years to come.”
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