Even though Ian Rapoport just signed a new deal with NFL Network, there’s a hypothetical world where he could be the next NBA insider, throwing his hat in the same rings as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Host Brandon Contes challenged Rapoport with a hypothetical scenario on the Awful Announcing podcast. Contes asked if, with networks like NBC and Amazon negotiating NBA media rights, Rapoport could have switched gears and become an NBA insider for one of them.
The conversation then shifted to the question of transferability. Could Rapoport’s reporting talents work in the NBA despite relying heavily on long-term source development?
“I think I could do it,” Rapoport admitted. “I don’t like basketball as much. I talk to Shams frequently, and I love watching him and Woj go at it. So, if there were different people covering the NBA, not them, but different people, I think I could do it.
“You know, it probably took me like a good legit six years to get to a point where I was really breaking news in the NFL. So, I could do it in the NBA; it would just take so long. It would be so frustrating because I’m used to knowing a lot of things. And I would get there and not know as much. It would be frustrating, but it would take me a minute.”
While Rapoport acknowledges his talent could translate, his love for football and Wojnarowski and Charania’s established dominance in the industry likely keep him firmly rooted in the NFL landscape. But hey, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has scooped some NBA news before. So, it can be done.
NBA news: Former LA Clippers’ lottery pick Jerome Robinson is signing a one-year deal to go to camp with the Golden State Warriors, per sources. Robinson played last season for the Santa Cruz Warriors and now will be competing for one of their remaining open roster spots.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2022
For now, Woj and Shams can rest easy knowing they won’t have to battle another insider for breaking news and that he’ll continue to be a familiar face delivering the latest NFL scoops.
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