NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt steps away from USA Today after 30 years

One of the longest-tenured voices on the NBA beat is moving on.

Jeff Zillgitt announced on social media that he has taken a buyout from USA Today after three decades with the paper. Zillgitt called the run “the thrill and dream of a lifetime.”

“Being a newspaper person was all I ever wanted out of work,” he wrote. “There’s not enough room to acknowledge everyone who deserves it but my gratitude runs wide and deep.”

Zillgitt added that the job and the colleagues he worked alongside helped him through “dark days” and that he plans to take time to decompress before deciding on his next steps.

“The timing of this buyout works, giving me a chance to pursue a couple of projects,” he wrote. He mentioned a few freelance opportunities, as well as plans to go fly-fishing in Montana, take a beach vacation in September, and hit some concerts.

“I still have stories to tell,” Zillgitt said.

The tributes quickly rolled in, including one from longtime NBA communications executive Tim Frank.

“The very definition of a pro,” Frank posted. “Great at his job and always kind to everyone he came into contact with. Glad the NBA was always his beat. Hope to see more of you, Jeff, in whatever you do next.”

Zillgitt covered the NBA through lockouts, superteams, rule changes and countless playoff runs. Whatever comes next, it sounds like he is going to take his time before writing the next chapter.

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