One of ESPN’s most recognizable faces across the last twenty-plus years, Michael Wilbon, is stepping away from the network due to his health.
On Monday, Wilbon, 67, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that he is headed to the “injured list,” because of “multiple health issues” over recent months.
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Wilbon’s tweet came amid worry about the former Washington Post columnist-turned ESPN star, after he’d recently been absent from Pardon the Interruption (PTI), which he’s co-hosted with Tony Kornheiser (whom he first worked with at The Post) since 2001. Along with missing from PTI, WIlbon hasn’t been seen on ESPN’s NBA coverage or SportsCenter, two spots where he had regularly offered commentary in the past.
In saying that he’s stepping away for the time being, Wilbon insisted this isn’t retirement, but that his leave is indefinite.
” … 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. But I didn’t,” Wilbon tweeted.
Though Wilbon did not specify what his health issues are, he made it a point to state that his leave from ESPN is not related to rumored alcohol use or gambling issues and expressed how much he’s enjoyed working with Kornheiser for the last 25 years.
“I have no idea how exactly this part of my journey will wind up,” Wilbon added. “The goal is to come out of it feeling much better than I do now and ready to return to sparring with Tony.”
Wilbon is diabetic and suffered a heart attack in 2008. During a Monday appearance on Kornheiser’s podcast, The Tony Kornheiser Show, Wilbon addressed his diabetes, telling his longtime friend and co-host, Kornheiser, ” (diabetes is) part of what I’m dealing with now, but not the entirety of it.”
The Kornheiser-Wilbon duo, as part of PTI, have won numerous Sports Emmy Awards.
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