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Michael Wilbon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael Wilbon | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 19, 1958  Chicago, Illinois |
| Occupation | Sports Columnist Television host |
Michael Raymond Wilbon (born November 19, 1958) is an American sportswriter and columnist. He is a columnist for The Washington Post, has co-hosted Pardon the Interruption on ESPN since 2001, and serves as an analyst for ESPN.
Contents |
Career
Wilbon began working for The Washington Post in 1980 after summer internships at the newspaper in 1979 and 1980.[1] He covered college sports, Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA before being promoted to full-time columnist in February of 1990.[1] His column in the Post, which deals as much with the culture of sports as the action on the court or field, appears up to four times a week.
In his career, Wilbon has covered 10 different Summer and Winter Olympic Games for The Washington Post, every Super Bowl since 1987, nearly every Final Four since 1982 and each year's NBA Finals since 1987.
After contributing to ESPN's The Sports Reporters and other shows on the cable network, he began co-hosting ESPN's daily Pardon the Interruption, or PTI as it is affectionately known among its fans, with Tony Kornheiser on October 22, 2001. Kornheiser commonly refers to him simply as "Wilbon." As of February 4, 2007, he is also a member of ABC's "NBA Countdown" (with host Dan Patrick and analyst Mark Jackson) which is the pre-game show for the network's NBA telecasts.
In addition to his work at The Washington Post, PTI and ESPN, Wilbon appears weekly on WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. with WRC Sports Director George Michael, and Pro Football Hall of Famers John Riggins and Sonny Jurgensen on Redskins Report during the football season. He also appears with Michael, USA Today basketball writer David DuPree and Washington Post columnist Mike Wise on Full Court Press during the basketball season. In 2001 Wilbon was named the top sports columnist by the Society of Professional Journalists.[2]
In recent years, he has become more known as an ESPN personality, and in late 2006, agreed to a multi-year contract extension with ESPN that will give the network priority in conflicts with his newspaper assignments.[3][4] The first major example of this happened on February 4, 2007 when Wilbon covered a Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers game instead of Super Bowl XLI.
Personal
Born in the south side of Chicago, Illinois, Wilbon graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep in 1976 and received his journalism degree in 1980 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He has one brother, Donald, a Chicago-based investment banker, and is the son of Raymond (deceased) and Cleo Wilbon, retired after a long career as a teacher.
Wilbon currently lives in the Washington, D.C., area, but he also has a home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He and his wife, Cheryl, enjoy escaping from the Washington D.C. winters, and he is an avid golfer.
As a native of Chicago, Wilbon generally favors Chicago area teams including the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks and the north-side Chicago Cubs. Wilbon also publicly supported the Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball team during their run to the 2005 NCAA National Championship game, as well as the Chicago White Sox during their 2005 World Series Championship run, despite these teams rivalries with the Northwestern Wildcats and the Chicago Cubs, respectively.
Wilbon is good friends with former NBA star Charles Barkley and has edited and written the introduction for his most recent books, "I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It" and "Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?", both of which were New York Times best sellers.
Wilbon revealed on the Dan Patrick Show that he was "the best baseball player in his area at the age of 14." Wilbon rarely discusses his own athletic experiences. Wilbon has also admitted to playing tennis in his youth.
On the July 19, 2007 episode of PTI, Wilbon mentioned that he has never had any children of his own, but a six-year-old nephew (son of his brother) named Jordan.
Wilbon has a cousin, Travon Bellamy, who plays for the University of Illinois football team.[5]
Books
- Barkley, Charles; Michael Wilbon (2002). I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It. Random House. ISBN 0-375-50883-X.
- Barkley, Charles; Michael Wilbon (2005). Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?. Penguin Press. ISBN 1-594-20042-4.
References
- ^ a b Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, <http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=1365321&type=page2Story>. Retrieved on 2007-10-16
- ^ Pardon the Interruption!: A Talk with Michael Wilbon, <http://www.alumni.northwestern.edu/cwoc/cwoc_01_06.html>. Retrieved on 2007-10-16
- ^ Michael McCarthy (2006-12-27). Wilbon now more of an ESPN guy. USA Today.
- ^ Harry Jaffe (2007-01-25). Will Wilbon’s $8-Million TV deal make him a stranger at the Post?. Washingtonian.
- ^ As mentioned on PTI, Feb. 7, 2007. This was during a discussion of questionable recruiting by head coach Ron Zook.
External links
- Wilbon’s recent sports columns from The Washington Post (requires registration)
- USA Today on Wilbon's expanded role with ESPN
Categories: Semi-protected | American sportswriters | National Basketball Association broadcasters | Washington Post people | African American writers | Writers from Chicago | Washington, D.C. writers | Northwestern University alumni | People from Chicago | People from Washington, D.C. | African Americans | 1958 births | Living people