Before Harden officially became a Los Angeles Clipper at around 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, Adrian Wojnarowski was at Newark Airport ready to fly to LA. Suddenly, a source advised Woj not to get on the plane. In the latest episode of the Woj Pod, Wojnarowski offered his not-so-glamorous perspective on the Clippers' blockbuster trade for James Harden.
Per The Woj Pod:
"I was in Newark airport getting ready to fly to LA—it was suggested to me to "not get on a plane". It's always my worst fear with this job-is you're on a plane, and the wireless is spotty and you can't get to what you need to do. So I sat in Newark airport, watched the place close down and then almost start to re-open again. So from like 5pm, they threw me out of the United Lounge at around 1030pm when it closed. I just went and sat downstairs until I left about 330am. Went home took a shower"
In short, Woj missed a flight, and sat around an airport in New Jersey all night long. All to be the first to break the news that Harden had been traded.
According to Woj, "[The Clippers and Sixers] were grinding through this. Really got into it late Monday night." How fitting, considering this was a night of late phone calls across the NBA. This was not the first time the Sixers and Clippers engaged in a late-night deal. In fact, Woj cited the Tobias Harris deal that enabled the Clippers to sign Kawhi Leonard and trade for Paul George as the second Sixers-Clippers trade he's broken after 2 a.m. Eastern time.
It feels safe to say that voluntarily hanging out in an airport all night is not on everybody's bucket list. While it may sound exhausting, Wojnarowski's determination speaks volumes about the dedication required to be a sports insider. In this business, every second counts. An NBA insider's life might appear exciting or fast-paced. However, Wojnarowski's sleepover at the airport shows that's not always the case.
