Shams Charania

Shams Charania
Charania in 2023
Born (1994-04-01) April 1, 1994 (age 30)
Chicago, Illinois, US
EducationLoyola University Chicago
OccupationSports reporter

Shams Charania (/ˈʃɑːmz/ SHAHMZ; born April 1, 1994) is an American sports reporter for ESPN, where he covers the NBA. He previously worked for The Athletic, Stadium and FanDuel TV.

Early life

Charania was born in Chicago to Pakistani Ismaili Muslim parents who had immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s.[1] He was raised in Wilmette, Illinois and attended New Trier High School. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2017.[2]

Career

He began his sportswriting career at age 17 covering the Chicago Bulls for ChicagoNow, a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune. In 2012, Charania began writing for RealGM, and reporting small transactions around the league.[citation needed] After several years, Charania caught the attention of Adrian Wojnarowski, then working for Yahoo Sports.[citation needed]

After joining Yahoo, Charania began to break news of deals and high-profile signings in the summer of 2016,[3] including Dwight Howard's move to the Atlanta Hawks, DeMar DeRozan's re-signing with the Toronto Raptors, Luol Deng's signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jamal Crawford's signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.[4] This set off a friendly rivalry between Wojnarowski and Charania.[5]

On August 14, 2018, Shams announced via his Twitter account he would be leaving Yahoo Sports for The Athletic and Stadium at the end of the month.[6] In 2023, Charania reported the first three picks of the 2023 NFL draft on Twitter ahead of even NFL insiders, causing many users on the platforms to post memes in response.[7]

Charania was a paid contributor for the sports gambling company FanDuel.[8][9] His work for the company, alongside his work as a reporter, has been described[by whom?] as a conflict of interest, as his reporting can shift betting odds and potentially reveal pertinent info to FanDuel.[10]

On October 7, 2024, Charania announced that he would be joining ESPN as the company's Senior NBA Insider.[11] He replaced Wojnarowski, who left the role to become General Manager of the St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball program.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Two Ismailis chose the path less traveled – a career in sports journalism". The.Ismaili. November 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Sprung, Shlomo. "The Rise And Evolution Of Shams Charania". Forbes. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  3. ^ Russell, Jake (June 25, 2016). "'The Vertical' NBA draft show live stream was a huge hit with fans. Sorry, ESPN". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "Meet Shams Charania, the College Senior Breaking NBA News in Class". Complex. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "Adrian Wojnarowski And Shams Charania Now Do Battle For NBA Scoops". UPROXX. July 13, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Twitter". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Taylor, Cody (April 27, 2023). "Twitter reacts to NBA reporter Shams Charania tipping NFL draft picks". USA Today. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "A Reporter's Tweet Moved NBA Draft Odds. He Also Works for a Gambling Company". Wall Street Journal. 2023.
  9. ^ Dator, James (July 2, 2024). "Shams Charania's conflict of interest keeps swinging NBA gambling markets". SBNation.com.
  10. ^ Strauss, Ben (June 23, 2023). "FanDuel makes betting lines. FanDuel's Shams Charania moves them". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  11. ^ Charania, Shams (October 7, 2024). "Post".
  12. ^ "Shams Charania to Become ESPN's Senior NBA Insider". SI. October 7, 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024.