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

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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

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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

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  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.
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