A lot has been made of Pat McAfee’s presence on ESPN. As you may have noticed, he isn’t a traditional journalist.
But as the “Thunderdome” welcomed FanDuel/Stadium/The Athletic’s Shams Charania ahead of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis this weekend, McAfee did his best Howard Cosell impression by asking the NBA insider the one question we’re all wondering: Is he dating his FanDuel colleague Kay Adams?
“Are you and Kay Adams dating?” McAfee asked Charania point blank on Friday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show.
Charania did his best to respond diplomatically.
“That’s a great colleague of mine,” Charania said. “I think she’s amazing at what she does. I enjoy going on her show. Like with you similarly, you make me feel comfortable when I’m on your show, she makes me feel very comfortable. We saw the Super Bowl together, we were in the FanDuel suite.”
Once again, McAfee flexed his journalism muscles by refusing to let Charania off the hook with his non-answer.
“So you are dating?” McAfee followed up.
“I wouldn’t classify myself as anything,” Charania sheepishly replied.
Pat McAfee asks the question everybody wants to know: Is Shams Charania dating Kay Adams? pic.twitter.com/EJdWbrSThr
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 16, 2024
While me might not have received a direct answer from Charania, McAfee deserves credit for doing his best to get one. Speculation regarding Charania and Adams’ relationship dates back to the fall of 2022, with the two FanDuel employees having made a habit of openly flirting on her show, Up & Adams.
This week, the buzz regarding the potential FanDuel power couple really ratcheted up, with Adams seemingly friend-zoning Charania by referring to him as her “bestie,” only to have the NBA insider surprise her with a pair of shoes on Valentine’s Day.
So are Charania and Adams dating? Despite McAfee’s best efforts, it’s still unclear. But you can’t fault the former All-Pro punter for trying to get the answer we’ve all been waiting for.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.