Michael Wilbon

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Michael Wilbon
Born (1958-11-19) November 19, 1958 (age 65)
Chicago, Illinois
Occupation(s)Sports Columnist
Television host
Being Wilbon

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 along with fellow Post scribe Tony Kornheiser, and serves as an analyst for ESPN.

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 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 Stuart Scott and analyst Jon Barry) 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 Tony Kornheiser 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 Bethesda, Maryland, but he also has a home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He and his wife, Sheryl, enjoy escaping from the Washington D.C. winters, and he is an avid golfer. His landscaping company is the area local "Emerald Landscaping Corporation."

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 and ice hockey in his youth during PTI.

Wilbon has a cousin, Travon Bellamy, who plays for the University of Illinois football team.[5]

Wilbon suffered a mild heart attack on January 27, 2008.[6] After complaining of chest pains, he was taken to a Scottsdale hospital where doctors performed an angioplasty.[7][8]

Wilbon's wife Sheryl gave birth to their first child, Matthew Raymond Wilbon, on March 26, 2008.[9][10] Young Matthew is often referred to as "Lilbon" by the aforementioned Tony Kornheiser on his radio show.

On August 10, 2008, during a Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley Field, Wilbon threw out the ceremonial first pitch and then sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as part of the seventh-inning stretch.[11]

Books

  • Barkley, Charles (2002). I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It. Random House. ISBN 0-375-50883-X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Barkley, Charles (2005). Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?. Penguin Press. ISBN 1-594-20042-4. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

References

  1. ^ a b Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, retrieved 2007-10-16
  2. ^ Pardon the Interruption!: A Talk with Michael Wilbon, retrieved 2007-10-16
  3. ^ Michael McCarthy (2006-12-27). "Wilbon now more of an ESPN guy". USA Today. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Harry Jaffe (2007-01-25). "Will Wilbon's $8-Million TV deal make him a stranger at the Post?". Washingtonian. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ As mentioned on PTI, Feb. 7, 2007. This was during a discussion of questionable recruiting by head coach Ron Zook.
  6. ^ Brinson, Will (2008-01-29), Wilbon Reportedly Suffers Heart Attack, AOL Sports, retrieved 2008-01-29 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Sports Media Watch: ESPN's Wilbon has heart attack
  8. ^ Michael Wilbon (2008-02-01). "A life-changing turn of events". The Washington Post. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ As mentioned on PTI, Mar. 26, 2008. This was during the PTI Rundown as announced by Tony Kornheiser.
  10. ^ Mitchell, Fred. Word on the Street. Chicago Tribune, March 26 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Paul. EXTRA INNINGS. Chicago Tribune, August 11 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-11.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Wilbon&oldid=242674128"