Michael Wilbon, a longtime NBA analyst for ESPN and co-host of Pardon the Interruption, has announced that he will take a leave of absence from the network while dealing with personal health issues.
“This isn’t retirement,” Wilbon wrote on social media on Monday. “But it is a trip to the injured list. Hopefully, not an extended one.
“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.”
— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) November 2, 2026
Wilbon clarified that these medical issues are not related to alcohol. He also noted that he is not taking a leave of absence due to gambling, something that he finds “loathsome.”
The longtime analyst said that other people in his life had noticed “worrisome” signs and that he should have listened to them and medical professionals.
Wilbon, a decorated sportswriter and broadcaster, has been a steady presence in the sports industry. He spent 31 years as a journalist for The Washington Post, and he has co-hosted Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser since Oct. 22, 2001.
This sports show has become the ESPN’s most-watched daily show while winning Sports Emmy awards in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Wilbon, who expanded his role at ESPN in 2010 after leaving The Washington Post, has earned enshrinement into multiple Halls of Fame.
The longtime journalist is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as the Curt Gowdy Media Award recipient. He is also in the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame.
ESPN hasn’t announced any long-term plans for fill-in hosts as Wilbon faces these personal medical issues, but he has confirmed that he fully intends to return to the studio once healthy.
“I have no idea how this part of my journey will wind up,” Wilbon said at the end of his statement. “The goal of it is to come out of it feeling much better than I do now and ready to return to sparring with Tony.”
