How did Shams Charania being a FanDuel affiliate affect NBA insider news? Understanding more

Shams Charania is one of the likely targets of ESPN to replace Adrian Wojnarowski, who has retired from sports journalism. Charania is a free agent and is the ideal successor to Wojnarowski. But could Charania's affiliation with FanDuel have affected the way he reports NBA insider news?

According to Front Office Sports, Charania's deal with FanDuel is expiring and it's unclear if he'll be signing a new contract. If the 30-year-old insider signs a new deal with the betting brand, some may have problems with how he handles dropping "Shams Bombs."

This was the case in a post on Reddit last year, when Bill Simmons of The Ringer questioned a couple of Charania's reports on draft night. Simmons felt he was reporting unfounded speculation in order to move betting lines for FanDuel.

The first was the tweet about the Charlotte Hornets considering Scoot Henderson for the No. 2, which was contradicting Woj's report pointing to Brandon Miller. After Shams Charania's report, Scoot Henderson became the favorite to be selected at No. 2.

Does anyone care that Shams Charania clearly tweeted some bullshit to move betting lines? byu/Handcuffed inbillsimmons

The second report happened on "The Pat McAfee Show," wherein the NBA insider speculated that Amen Thompson could go as high as the third overall pick. The report might have affected the betting market for the No. 2 and 3 picks for a short time.

While it was all speculation at this point, FanDuel might have benefitted from Charania's report. However, there is nothing other than circumstantial evidence to support Simmons' argument that this was collusion, and it is impossible to draw any conclusions.

A spokesman from FanDuel addressed the concerns in 2023, as per The Washington Post:

“FanDuel is not privy to any news that Shams breaks on his platforms.”

Another spokesman, this one from The New York Times, also spoke out in support of Charania (via The Washington Post:

“Shams does not pick games or encourage people to gamble. He simply reports on news (after reporting it first for The Athletic) around injuries, trades and transactions.”

With the way betting has been growing in sports, it would pose problems if insiders were found to be reporting unfounded speculation to influence betting lines. While some think a sportsbook employing an insider is at the least a conflict of interest, it has not reached a point where the NBA has intervened or investigated.

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Shams Charania and Chris Haynes are ESPN's top choices to replace Adrian Wojnarowski

Shams Charania and Chris Haynes are ESPN's top choices to replace Adrian Wojnarowski. (Photo: Getty)

ESPN is reportedly looking at Shams Charania and Chris Haynes to fill the spot left by Adrian Wojnarowski. Charania and Haynes are free agents after their respective contracts with The Athletic, Stadium and FanDuel, and TNT Sports, expired.

Charania started as a protege of Wojanarowski, so he's the likely replacement, especially in the eyes of fans. Haynes has had some major insider reports over the years although he's a little bit behind Woj and Charania in terms of "bombs."

Adrian Wojnarowski announced his retirement from sports reporting after more than 30 years on the job. Wojnarowski will move to sports management after signing to become the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team.

The 55-year-old former NBA insider was born and raised near ESPN's Bristol offices in Connecticut. He got his journalism degree at St. Bonaventure in 1991 and began his professional career at the Fresno Bee in 1995. He initially started at the Hartford Courant when he was in high school and college.