48 Minutes with Hall of Fame Journalist Adrian Wojnarowski

0:00 ... Opening Animation ... Ross hello and introduces the panel ... Show #185 is dedicated to Baron Davis, who wore #85 with two NBA teams.

1:10 ... Bruce introduces "Woj" and pronounces his name correctly ... Bruce runs down some highlights of his legendary career.

3:21 ... Woj shares his thoughts on delivering his acceptance speech at the Hoop Hall of Fame ... he singles out Jackie MacMullan and how other legends of the game sat and listened to his speech.

5:12 ... Woj grew up in Bristol, CT the home of ESPN.  But before joining ESPN in 2017, Woj worked in the newspaper business but took a leap of faith in 2007 and joined Yahoo! Sports.  He shares great memories of pioneering digital media NBA coverage with Yahoo!

10:04 ... On being an underdog at Yahoo and using that to fuel his desire to compete.  Woj loved being an underdog.

11:47 ... ESPN is a machine and no individual person is bigger than "the place."  But that machinery helps to make stars.    But Woj did his best to keep his underdog mentality alive, although at ESPN that was hard to do.  Woj reflects on the journey and the pride he and his crew felt about their work.

15:00 ... World B asks about growing up in Bristol and traveling all over the country before eventually returning to Bristol to work for ESPN.  That's why he didn't pursue ESPN at the start of his career ... he wanted to be a sports writer, which did not exist at ESPN back then.

17:02 ... Woj's elderly Dad lived in Bristol when he joined ESPN in 2017.  It was meaningful to be able to spend some time together.

19:11 ... Woj and Donovan Clingan both went to Bristol Central High School.  Woj knew him from the time he was in 8th grade.

21:13 ... Woj broke so many stories that he made it seem routine ... if there was a big story, he probably broke it.  But there were plenty of challenges ... the demands on his family time were tops on that list.  But there were many others and Woj explains some in vivid detail.

27:30 ... Woj shares his experience doing a Giannis Antetokounmpo Series during COVID that was a three part podcast he did with his editor Cristina Daglas, who is Greek.  Woj was incredibly impressed with Giannis's recall and contributions to the project.

31:32 ... Woj reflects on his first real scoop with Yahoo! on Greg Oden and how it more or less put him on the map.

34:07 ... When LeBron James and Chris Bosh went to Miami, the modern "Insider" position was really created.  It fueled interest in all the "behind the scenes" moves and the fans were hungry for all of it.

35:34 ... Woj runs through his main responsibilities as general manager at St. Bonaventure and the word "general" describes his responsibilities.   He tells a great story about how the new film room at the school was where he met his wife Amy back when the student newspaper office was there and they were both students.

40:44 ... The NIL has changed college sports in a huge way.  Woj explains where a lot of the money comes from and how "Rev Share" is a big part of the University's financial relationship with students.

43:53 ... Bruce asks Woj to explain how he fits into the chain of command between the coach and athletic director.

46:16 ... Woj has an enormous social media following (more than 6 million on Twitter/X and 2 million on Instagram) and he explains how his personal reach benefits the basketball program.  While there are some rules regarding his tweeting, he can still drop a Woj Bomb on behalf of the program.

48:43 ... Ross asks about new recruit Joe Grahovac, a 24 year old sophomore who has an incredible personal story.  There is a lot of NBA interest in seeing Grahovac and the school will have a "Pro Day" to showcase Grahovac and other Bonnies players.  He looks a bit like a red haired hoop legend from UCLA back in the 1970s.

52:58 ... Woj loved pursuing players from around the world and recruiting them to the school.  They've brought in six international players and all have great individual stories and bring different cultures into the program.

57:08 ... Culture is something that has to be worked on every day ... the guys who live that way are the guys they want at St. Bonny.

58:04 ... The "Pro Day" at St. Bonaventure will be a first for a "Mid Major" school.  Woj explains how an event like that can enhance a player's prospects for a pro career.

1:02:00 ... Some of the NBA players Woj knows have helped mentor the St. Bonny players, especially in dealing with injuries.  Woj also tries to connect players with alumni who are business and community leaders.

1:04:46 ... What is Woj's top goal for the upcoming season?  To see the growth of the players and the program is a priority.

1:06:01 ... Ross thanks Woj for his time tonight!

TRT 1:06:41