After a weeks-long search, ESPN finally found its replacement for longtime NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. You might be familiar with some of his work.
Shams Charania is heading to ESPN to serve as the network's lead NBA insider, he announced on X — the website formerly known as Twitter — on Monday afternoon.
I am honored to join ESPN as the company’s Senior NBA Insider. I can’t wait to be part of an incredible group of colleagues at ESPN and serve the sports audience worldwide. pic.twitter.com/sBDFGIpkb6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 7, 2024
Charania previously served at The Athletic, Stadium and Yahoo Sports. The Chicago native was Wojnarowski's understudy while at Yahoo Sports. As the years wore on, the two became adversaries, competing with one another to see who could produce the bigger news drops.
Charania beat out a host of candidates, including fellow ESPN stars Jeff Passan and Adam Schefter, to receive the gig. Here's what you need to know.
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Why did Shams Charania leave The Athletic for ESPN?
Charania's decision to join the Worldwide Leader in Sports was all about timing. His contracts with The Athletic and FanDuel TV were nearing their expiration, making him among the hottest commodities in sports media.
NBC Sports and Prime Video were among the other platforms interested in securing Charania's services. In the end, ESPN's pursuit was impossible to pass up.
ESPNer Pat McAfee was among Charania's biggest advocates, per Front Office Sports' Michael McCarthy. McAfee publicly endorsed Charania's candidacy for Wojnarowski's job on his show. Charania is a regular guest on the program.
“Shams Charania’s the answer. I know there’s conversations happening. … But if you take our bias out of this conversation, there’s only one answer. It’s Shams Charania," McAfee said.
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Shams Charania net worth
It's unclear quite how much money Charania is worth at this point in his career. He reportedly fetched between $3 million and $4 million annually during his time with The Athletic, Stadium and FanDuel, per Front Office Sports.
Wojnarowski, meanwhile, reportedly earned $7 million a season with ESPN, per the Los Angeles Times.
Wojnarowski is believed to have left around $20 million on the table when he decided to retire from the industry and return to St. Bonaventure as the men's basketball team's general manager.
Charania's new deal very well could have fallen somewhere between those two figures, although it hasn't yet been revealed.
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Shams Charania age
Born on April 1, 1994, Charania is 30 years old.
With his hire, Charania becomes ESPN's youngest-ever "lead news-breaker," per Sports Business Journal.