The rivalry between Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski is arguably the greatest in modern sports media history. The two NBA insiders became household names for their ability to break news and whenever a new NBA story dropped, it was inevitable that everyone would keep score as to whether it was a “Woj Bomb” or a “Shams Wow.”
Yes, we need to come up with an actual nickname for Shams scoops.
The fact that there was also the underlying storyline of their teacher-pupil relationship from their time together at Yahoo! Sports and reports about tension that existed through the years made it all the more fascinating.
But now Woj has retired to join his beloved St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program and Shams has stepped in to replace him at ESPN. And in exiting the national stage, Woj has given his massive ESPN platform to Shams. And Shams has all the opportunity in the world to be a bigger and more influential presence than Woj was in Bristol.
Shams Charania made his official debut as an ESPN employee on Thursday, getting a congratulatory welcome from the network’s biggest stars in Mike Greenberg and Stephen A. Smith on Get Up and First Take respectively. And immediately he made his presence felt by breaking news live on the air. Danny Green’s retirement and Mitchell Robinson’s injury timetable aren’t exactly huge scoops, but it’s an immediate signal that Charania has the goods when it comes to becoming the unquestioned top NBA insider.
Two ShamsBombs in two minutes: Shams reveals Knicks center Mitchell Robinson will miss the remainder of the calendar year while recovering from foot surgery, which drew the ire of Stephen A. Smith. pic.twitter.com/wnUMg2VT7O
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 10, 2024
And it’s also a signal that Shams will shine in an area where Woj never quite excelled – television.
Yes, Adrian Wojnarowski is one of the most gifted newsbreakers and columnists that has ever covered sports. But he wasn’t exactly an electrifying TV presence. Even though ESPN used him in the studio periodically as an analyst and reporter, he never made it to Adam Schefter levels of being a ubiquitous presence on ESPN platforms.
Already, it seems like Charania’s career arc in Bristol is going to be different. In speaking to CNBC’s Alex Sherman, he gave a preview of what’s to come by saying he’s going to do a ton of television work in Bristol.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot of TV,” Charania said. “All the shows you think about: ‘NBA Today,’ ‘NBA Countdown,’ ‘Get Up,’ ‘Sportscenter,’ ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’ I feel like the last six years have really helped prepare me for this moment, and I’m excited to continue to use and share in this platform and the behemoth that is ESPN.”
To his credit, part of the reason why Shams has become such a force in the NBA media world is his ability as an on-air personality. There’s a reason why he has been Pat McAfee’s preferred NBA insider instead of staying in-house with Wojnarowski. First, it’s in McAfee’s DNA to not toe the company line. But second, Shams is just better and more natural in that environment.
Charania has tons of reps from his time at Stadium and FanDuel, although we are shedding a tear that there will probably be no more flirtations with Kay Adams. And already you could see in his interactions with Greenberg and Stephen A. on Thursday morning that he’s incredibly comfortable in the format.
The more that Shams Charania appears on ESPN airwaves, the more he will cement himself as the top NBA insider covering the sport. And it will only cause his star power and notoriety to keep increasing. Even without the ESPN platforms available to him, Shams has amassed over three million followers on X and Instagram. It’s a long ways off of Woj who has over 9 combined million followers.
But just think how many casual sports fans who aren’t chronically online will be introduced to Shams for the first time in the weeks and months to come because they see him on SportsCenter or Get Up or First Take or NBA Countdown. The fact that he’s already developed such a following without a national television platform is incredible. And it’s only going to skyrocket from here.
Charania also has another huge factor that works in his favor — a true lack of competition. The Shams-Woj rivalry was the Ali-Frazier of sports insiders. And no disrespect to any other boxing champion from that time, but it’s a different class compared to the likes of Ken Norton and Larry Holmes.
Who is out there now on a national level that will be able to compete with Shams when it comes to breaking NBA news? Perhaps the top name is Chris Haynes, but he is currently without a contract and the NBA on TNT is left without a true insider. Media companies like NBC and Amazon are probably months away from announcing their talent lineups for when they gain NBA rights next season. As far as emerging reporters, there is Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, but he had notable stumbles on draft night this past summer. That might explain the jaw-dropping revelation that ESPN apparently seriously considered MLB insider Jeff Passan pulling double duty before deciding to hire Charania.
Shams’ only real competition for scoops might just come from in house at ESPN from the likes of Brian Windhorst, Ramona Shelburne (who broke Joel Embiid’s new contract shortly after Woj’s retirement) and others. But in fairness to those reporters and their excellent work, they will all be behind Shams on the ESPN depth chart in breaking news, social media relevance, and television appearances. Without a true rival to trade scoops with, Shams could end up having a monopoly on NBA breaking news.
Adrian Wojnarowski is a titanic figure who helped transform the sports media industry. But it’s the right place, the right time, and the right opportunity for Shams Charania to surpass his former mentor in what should be a very successful ESPN career.