Jeff Passan. While he’s been linked to fill the biggest shoes in the hoops reporting world, Passan is also an accomplished veteran in his own right. He’s known for his detailed reporting and insights into Major League Baseball. Jeff’s been a go-to source for baseball fans and experts alike, even before beginning his journey as an Insider at ESPN in 2019. His prominence in the sport is heavily backed by his skills as an author. He wrote ‘The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports,’ a New York Times bestseller! The book dives deeper into the pitching arm of baseball pitchers and how it is the key to success while also being vulnerable to injuries. That, though, is barely scratching the surface of what the star journalist has achieved. Let’s dig in.

Jeff Passan was born in Cleveland, Ohio on September 21, 1980. In Cleveland, he developed his love for sports, particularly baseball. Then he pursued his passion and graduated with a degree in journalism from Syracuse University. This set the stage for his career as a Sports Journalist. He kicked off his career at The Daily Orange and then moved to The Kansas City Star, followed by the high-profile move to Yahoo, in 2006, where he covered his beloved sport and many major events like the World Series, high-profile trades, and trade deadlines. Passan, over time, gained a good reputation by breaking new stories in the community.

“The ability to marry the two seemed too convenient to work a real job,” Jeff Passan said about excelling in both sports and writing. “Somehow, for upward of 20 years now, I’ve managed to make it happen. And for all the late nights, the days away from the family, the clacking away on the keyboard: Yeah, it really is the best job in the world,” the experienced MLB reporter once said.

After joining ESPN as an MLB insider, Jeff Passan has appeared in various shows such as SportsCenter, Get Up, and Baseball Tonight. He also writes for ESPN.com and contributes to podcasts. According to The Athletic, Jeff Passan makes about $1 million/ year on his current contract with the sports media house.

As per Andrew Marchand, “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.” 

Adrian Wojnarowski shockingly left ESPN just days ago. He broke the news in classic Woj style by dropping one final “Woj Bomb”. Woj was adored by fans and fellow experts alike left ESPN after joining them back in 2017. He left to join as the general manager of the basketball team at St. Bonaventure University. The university is Woj’s alma mater. He said in an interview with ESPN, “After all these years reporting on everyone’s teams, I’m headed back to my own,” showing affection for the University he studied from.

Jeff Passan is one of the leading names to replace Adrian Wojnarowski after his retirement. Jeff has plenty of experience and has had a similar career to Woj, as both worked for Yahoo and then switched to ESPN. He can be a good replacement for the $7-million/year veteran, but the only roadblock here is that Passan has limited experience covering basketball. But we all learn on the job, don’t we?

Alongside Jeff Passan, other names competing to replace Adrian Wojnarowski

Jeff Passan’s name is not the only one in the race to replace Woj. There are a lot of names in the mix, such as The Athletic’s Shams Charania who many feel is the more easier choice. Charania’s contract is up with The Athletic and has also sparked interest from NBC, according to sources. Right now, the race seems to be two-legged between Jeff Passan and Shams Charania. The latter, who has competed and worked with Woj, would be a super fit in terms of prior experience in the sport and reliability in the hoops community.

But Jeff Passan is already signed with ESPN, giving him a huge advantage, and this could be a smart in-house move. Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said in a statement. “We’re proud to have him (Shams) as our colleague and are committed to ensuring he stays with The Athletic for years to come,” which casts doubt regarding the availability of Charania. Will it be Jeff Passan or someone else? There’s still a lot of uncertainty regarding the replacement of Woj.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.