Overview
- Wilbon announced on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, that he is stepping away from his PTI and ESPN/ABC NBA duties because of “struggles with multiple health issues” and said the leave is not retirement.
- He said the problems are health related and expressly denied they are due to alcohol or gambling, and he acknowledged he probably should have acted on earlier medical warnings.
- ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro issued a statement saying Wilbon and his family have the network’s full support and that the network looks forward to welcoming him back when he is ready.
- PTI will remain in its normal schedule and call on its regular bench of substitutes, such as Frank Isola, Pablo Torre and Mina Kimes, while Wilbon’s recovery timeline remains unspecified.
- Wilbon, who celebrated PTI’s 25th anniversary last month and has a history of a 2008 heart attack and Type 2 diabetes, missed shows last week and described himself as “beyond exhausted” after a recent hospitalization.