Former ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski is giving basketball followers the possibility to personal a chunk of historical past by auctioning off his outdated cellphones.
In September, Wojnarowski shocked the basketball world when he introduced his retirement from breaking information. As ESPN’s high information breaker, his updates—coined “Woj Bombs”—regularly shocked followers with blockbuster strikes seemingly out of nowhere.
Wojnarowski stepped away as a result of intense calls for of being the NBA’s high insider. He typically went days with out sleep, missed flights whereas ready on scoops and was regularly distant from his household as a result of job’s rigorous nature.
The longtime sports activities journalism pioneer has since been re-energized by a chance together with his alma mater, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies males’s basketball program. He’s now main this system’s title, picture and likeness (NIL) efforts, which have quickly gained consideration throughout collegiate sports activities.
As a part of these efforts, Wojnarowski is auctioning off his outdated iPhones, press credentials, ESPN media badges and even telephone calls and dinners with the previous reporter.
His obtainable telephones embrace an iPhone 11 he used to announce the NBA’s suspension of play as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, an iPhone XR he used to interrupt the information of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George teaming up with the Los Angeles Clippers, the iPhone 14 he used to cowl the NBA Draft lottery that landed Victor Wembanyama with the San Antonio Spurs, and the telephone he used to cowl his closing NBA Draft.
As of Monday night, bids for these telephones vary from $250 to $750.
Different objects embrace his 2021 and 2024 NBA Finals press passes. His 2023 NBA Draft credential, from the 12 months Wembanyama was chosen, is already as much as $750.
Followers have per week to bid on these collectibles. Whereas the telephones are probably wiped of any insider contacts, messages or data, the concept a Spurs fan might personal the cellphone used to announce their franchise-altering draft decide is an amusing one.
By the top of the public sale, the St. Bonaventure NIL fund is projected to lift near $10,000. That’s a big sum for just a few objects that have been probably sitting in Wojnarowski’s junk drawer.
He has been clear in regards to the immense stress of his profession, notably lately. Parting with these things from his closing seasons probably gives a way of closure—whereas additionally serving to fund his new endeavor.
Wojnarowski revolutionized basketball media. Now, he’s determining the NIL recreation one outdated iPhone at a time.
