J. A. Adande | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University |
| Employer | Northwestern University |
| Title | Director of Sports Journalism |
J. A. Adande (/əˈdɑːndeɪ/; born 1970)[1] is an American sportswriter, commentator and educator, who currently serves as the Director of Sports Journalism atNorthwestern University.[2]
Adande was born inLos Angeles, to Desire Adande and Elizabeth Oberstein, a dance professor atEl Camino College.[3] Oberstein died in 2000, after her battle with cancer.[4] Adande's grandfather, Gerson "Gus" Oberstein (1914–2003), was aviolinist who had played with jazzmenJoe Roland andCharlie Parker, and with theBerkeley Symphony for twenty years.[5]
Adande attendedCrossroads School inSanta Monica, California, where he served as sports editor and co-editor-in-chief of the student newspaper and graduated in 1988.[2]
Adande earned a BA in journalism fromMedill School of Journalism atNorthwestern University in 1992.[6][3] He was sports editor ofThe Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper, and interned withLos Angeles Times,Miami Herald, andWashington Post.[2]
After graduating from Northwestern, Adande held full-time reporter jobs at the Los Angeles Times,Chicago Sun-Times, and Washington Post.[2]
From 2004 to 2015, he taught sports journalism classes at theUniversity of Southern California.[3]
Adande joined ESPN.com as anNBA columnist in August 2007. The panel atAround the Horn all congratulated him on the job and played a joke "Buy or Sell" segment about Adande's comments about joining ESPN. He was an NBA analyst onSportsCenter.[7]
He was a regular panelist onESPN'sAround the Horn (ATH), starting in 2007, and after a period away, returned as a panelist in January 2018. He was formerly an American sports columnist and sideline reporter who covered theNational Basketball Association forESPN, and was also a regular guest host on ESPN'sPardon the Interruption television shows.[8] Adande is a member of theNational Association of Black Journalists, and also served as an adjunct professor at theUniversity of Southern California'sAnnenberg School of Journalism.[9][10]
Adande announced via Twitter in August 2017 that he was relocating to Chicago and becoming director of the new sports journalism program at Northwestern University, as well as a faculty member of theMedill School of Journalism.[11]
During his time at ESPN, Adande covered theOlympic Games,Wimbledon, theSuper Bowl, theNCAA Final Four, and theNBA Finals.[12]
Adande was honored as the 2024Curt Gowdy Print Media Award Recipient from theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[13]
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