Adrian Wojnarowski reveals cancer diagnosis

Wojnarowski told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix that he found out he had early-stage prostate cancer in March, right before he had to make an appearance on "NBA Countdown." While he was already becoming disillusioned about the 24/7 nature of his job — Woj talked about how the amount of time his job required was "an investment that I'm no longer driven to make" in his retirement statement — the medical news helped accelerate his retirement.

As did another ESPN personality's battle with cancer. Longtime ESPN commentator Chris Mortenson died of throat cancer in March, and Wojnarowski was struck by how many ESPN people weren't in attendance at his funeral in May.

"It made me remember that the job isn’t everything," Woj told Mannix. "In the end it’s just going to be your family and close friends."

But it was more than that. Wojnarowski had stopped believing that his singular talent for breaking NBA news was ultimately forgettable.

"Nobody gives a s---," he continued to Mannix. "Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor."

So far, Woj's cancer is considered "limited in scope." He doesn't need to have surgery, but he does need to sleep more. That might have been impossible at the height of his newsbreaking, when he might be woken up in the middle of the night to report news of a two-way contract signing.

Now he's the general manager for the basketball team at St. Bonaventure's, his alma mater. The job pays $75K, a 99 percent pay cut from his ESPN gig, but Woj's decision proves you can't put a price on health, or happiness.