Former ESPN sportswriter and senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was honored Friday with the Curt Gowdy Media Award. Nicknamed Woj, the 55-year-old was one of four Gowdy award winners, receiving the honor in the insight category.
“I only had ever hoped to have a career as a sportswriter, and so to me this honor is reflective of all the people who believed in me, gave me opportunities, helped me along this road, and that’s what comes to mind first,” Wojnarowski told the network.
A huge congratulations to the great Adrian Wojnarowski, this year’s Curt Gowdy Media Award recipient.
The award — named in honor of the late legendary sports broadcaster — is presented to members of the print, electronic and transformative media whose efforts have made a… pic.twitter.com/YBhujBc9Oj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 14, 2025
“So many of my idols, from Jackie MacMullan to Michael Wilbon to Doris Burke to Harvey Araton, have been honored previously, and it’s beyond my wildest dreams to be in that company,” Wojnarowski added.
The Curt Gowdy Media Award is presented to members of the print, electronic, and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.
The Gowdy winners will be honored Sept. 5-6 alongside this year’s Naismith Hall of Fame class. NBA legends Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard and WNBA icon Sue Bird are among the candidates for 2025 enshrinement.
Adrian Wojnarowski Retired From ESPN In September
Wojnarowski’s journalism career began in his native Connecticut in Waterbury, where he covered the University of Connecticut before leaving for The Fresno Bee in California and then the Bergen Record in New Jersey.
According to his old ESPN biography, Wojnarowski was then hired by Yahoo Sports in 2007. A decade later, he joined ESPN in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut, and went on to become one of the best sportswriters.
“I came along at a unique time in media,” Wojnarowski said, “and I came along at a time media and the league were changing, and I was the beneficiary of good timing and incredible support from people I worked with at the NBA, ESPN and Yahoo.”
In September, Wojnarowski announced his retirement from “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” and agreed to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University.
“I am hopeful that I can bring value in a lot of areas to our basketball program and open doors for our young men’s futures in ways both professionally and personally,” he said then.
In May 2022, Wojnarowski received an honorary doctorate from St. Bonaventure. He’s also a 1991 graduate of the western New York school and a distinguished alumnus from the Jandoli School of Communication.
