“Thrill of a lifetime.” That’s how Adrian Wojnarowski described his career-altering move of announcing his retirement from the media industry to take on a general manager role for the men’s basketball program of his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University. And the fans were shocked to find out that Woj gave up $7 million in annual salary at ESPN with the exit as he reportedly had three years, $20 million, left on his deal. But is this sacrifice a part of his bigger career plan? Well, media veteran Bomani Jones certainly thinks so.

Addressing Woj’s decision of early retirement, Jones said, “If you need to make a change in that way, then you go ahead and do it. I myself, personally, I don’t think I would be in the position to make a $7 million change like that.” But he realized how hard Woj’s job was and remarked, “I wouldn’t want that job for anything, just the demand of always being on.”

Bomani Jones, who was employed by ESPN till 2023, then revealed that even while talking to other people, Woj was required to constantly be on his phone sending texts and e-mails, and he did not have the option to tune out because there was usually a general manager on the other side. So, there is a chance the 55-year-old just wanted to get away from that hectic lifestyle.

But Bomani had another theory as to why Adrian Wojnarowski chose the GM job at St. Bonaventure- “This is just a guess, right? I don’t have no information on it. But if he is learning how to be an executive because one day he could come back over to this side, he knows enough people in front offices that maybe he could wind up there.” Having been an NBA insider for so long, Woj will have several reliable sources and connections in front offices across the league. It might be an easier entry for him to become an NBA team’s executive in the future.

So, there is a mild chance the St. Bonaventure gig, is undeniably a move filled with emotions as he’s an alum, but is also a test run at what he plans to do next in his illustrious career like Bomani Jones speculated on the Gil’s Arena podcast. Gilbert, however, was having none of it and found it hard to believe that Woj had the relevant experience to pull a move off in a majorly critical role on a hoops team at the highest level. But right now, Woj is focused on the task at hand.

Adrian Wojnarowski gets a warm welcome from St. Bonaventure as he embarks on a new journey

Well, whether it’s for a future role in the NBA or not, Woj is going to be a General Manager for the Bonnies going forward. The media veteran is excited to embark on a new journey and use his experience to elevate their basketball program, “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.”

Moreover, St. Bonaventure welcomed their new general manager with open arms as head coach Mark Schmidt couldn’t contain his excitement and exclaimed, “We got Woj!” With Adrian’s experience as an insider, the coach believed that he would have been in high demand had he put his name in the portal, “There would be Kansas, Carolina, and Duke after him. This is a grand slam.” Surely, many teams would have loved to add an executive with Woj’s knowledge and connections to their program.

Meanwhile, the university’s VP and director of athletics Bob Baretta deemed it a historic move, “Make no mistake about it, this is a big, bold move. Adding the preeminent basketball journalist of our time with his strong network of global relationships is certainly a loud and clear example of that. Today we stand a little bolder and even more poised to capitalize on this historic moment.”

Surely, it will be interesting to see how successful Adrian Wojnarowski becomes in his new career and if he eventually makes the transition to the role of an NBA executive like Bomani Jones predicts.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.