NBA draft guru Jonathan Givony leaving ESPN, rebuffs offer to stay in stunner
NBA Draft guru Jonathan Givony announced Thursday on social media he was leaving the Worldwide Leader in sports after eight years with the company.
Givony explained that he and the company did not see eye-to-eye on his value within ESPN.
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'My time at ESPN has come to an end. Thanks to everyone, past and present, who helped me grow professionally the past 8 years,' Givony posted to X.
Jonathan Givony is leaving ESPN after eight years.
NBAE via Getty Images
'Although ESPN offered an extension, we were unable to find alignment on my value to the company. I will continue to analyze the NBA Draft, college, high school, and international basketball, as I have the past 20+ years, at the company I founded, DraftExpress, alongside a fantastic team. See you at the U18 European Championship in Belgrade this weekend!'
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Givony founded Draft Express in 2003 and joined ESPN in 2017.
He previously contributed to Grantland, NBA.com and Sports Illustrated, in addition to his ESPN work.
Givony recently reported on Ace Bailey's bizarre NBA Draft slide, where he refused to work out for the 76ers, who were selecting No. 3 overall in this year's draft.
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Bailey ultimately fell to the Utah Jazz with the fifth pick.
Givony is an NBA Draft and scouting guru who started scouting service 'Draft Express' in 2003.
NBAE via Getty Images
The plugged-in draft expert will now ramp up his NBA draft scouting service, and his exit comes while ESPN has undergone a broader shift away from true reporting and analysis and instead focusing on brash personalities with hot takes.
Stephen A. Smith recived a $100 million contract with ESPN, Pat McAfee is a major voice for the network and the company even used comedian Shane Gillis for the recent ESPYs.
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