*ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon is stepping away from television after months of health struggles, but the longtime sports journalist isn’t ready to call it a career, Yahoo Sports reports.
The 67-year-old announced Monday that he will take an indefinite leave of absence from his duties on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” (PTI) and ABC’s NBA broadcasts. In a statement shared on X, Wilbon said he hopes the break won’t last long.
“This isn’t retirement, but it is a trip to the injured list. Hopefully not an extended one,” he wrote. “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 people close to him, including his longtime co-host Tony Kornheiser, had encouraged him to address his health sooner.
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“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. But I didn’t,” he said.
He also referenced a friend’s assessment of his situation. “And as one close friend has said as my issues have become bigger, ‘the bill has come due.'”
Wilbon didn’t disclose the specific health issues behind his decision. However, he made a point of clarifying that his absence has nothing to do with alcohol or sports gambling.
“The struggles are all health related, not to alcohol (I’m not swearing off the now-and-then Kier Royale) and not to gambling (those winds of change I find loathsome),” he wrote.
He also praised his ESPN colleagues and reflected on his decades working alongside Kornheiser. “I have loved sparring and hosting PTI with Tony every single day these past 25 years,” Wilbon said.
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said he looked forward to “welcoming [Wilbon] back whenever he is ready.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his leave, Wilbon made clear that he hopes to return to the job he has enjoyed for decades.
“I have no idea exactly how this part of my journey will wind up,” he wrote. “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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