Michael Wilbon is stepping away from ESPN to address his health, with no timetable for returning to Pardon the Interruption or the network’s NBA coverage.
But he wants to make one thing clear: He intends to come back.
“This isn’t retirement, but it is a trip to the injured list. Hopefully not an extended one,” Wilbon wrote in a statement Monday. “Struggles with multiple health issues in recent months lead me to take an indefinite leave of absence from my PTI and NBA duties at ESPN and ABC.”
Wilbon acknowledged that those around him, including longtime co-host Tony Kornheiser, had encouraged him to take a break before now.
“Probably, I should have listened to medical professionals and people closest to me, yep Kornheiser included, who saw worrisome signs in recent years that suggested I take time away earlier,” he wrote. “But I didn’t.”
During an appearance on The Tony Kornheiser Show, Wilbon described the exhaustion that kept him off PTI last week, as Drew Lerner of Awful Announcing reported.
“I was just exhausted; beyond exhausted, lifeless,” Wilbon said. “And this has been going on for awhile.”
He also discussed how difficult it has been to step away from work.
“My way is to run through the brick wall, to go to work,” Wilbon said. “You go to work until somebody stops you from going to work. Well, that’s what this is now.”
For NBA viewers, Wilbon has been a familiar presence for decades, first through his reporting and columns at The Washington Post, then through ESPN and ABC’s studio coverage. His move toward television once meant choosing a Cavaliers-Pistons assignment over covering the Super Bowl in February 2007.
Wilbon and Kornheiser recently celebrated PTI’s 25th anniversary. According to Awful Announcing, Frank Isola and Pablo Torre will fill in for Wilbon this week, with subsequent hosting assignments handled on a week-to-week basis.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said Wilbon and his family have the network’s full support.
“We are here for Michael every step of the way and look forward to welcoming him back whenever he is ready,” Pitaro said.
Wilbon expressed a similar hope in his announcement.
“The goal is to come out of it feeling much better than I do now and ready to return to sparring with Tony.”
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