"Chief friend-zoning" - NBA fans decode Kay Adams referring to Shams Charania as 'my guy' following NBA insider's ESPN deal

Famed NBA insider Shams Charania is now part of the ESPN family after it was confirmed that he joined the company as a senior insider. One of Charania's colleagues, Kay Adams, didn't waste time sending her congratulations on X (formerly Twitter). However, fans are giving it a different meaning on social media.

After the exit of longtime insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Charania left The Athletic to take over the seat that Woj left. Given his contract with both The Athletic and FanDuel TV, it was the right time to join ESPN.

"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," Charania posted on X.

Adams congratulated the insider on social media, referring to Charania as "my guy."

"My guy!!!!! Congratulations Shams! ❤️," Adams shared the post.

Fans started to speculate about what was going on between the two.

"'My guy!!!!' is chief friend zoning lollll," one fan said.

"Idk who is worse at keeping a secret … y’all or A’ja and Bam," another fan compared Adams and Charania to the rumored basketball couple.

"Friend zone is f**ked man 😭😭😭," a fan said.

Other fans teased Adams about giving Charania a chance.

"Now that my boy secured the bag, will you give him a chance?" a fan asked Adams.

"Oh he your guy now?" another fan said.

"Please give our guy @ShamsCharania a chance now… it’s what the people want!!!" another fan even tagged Charania's social media account.

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Shams Charania's old mentor is excited about his career at ESPN

Following the exit of his mentor Woj from ESPN, Shams Charania didn't wait for the season to start to take his spot. The former NBA insider got to talk about Charania's career move with Jim Rome and expressed his excitement for the young journalist.

"Shams texted me after my retirement," Woj said. "What I told him is what I would say today, that I hope he has as fulfilling and as rewarding of a career as I've had. I certainly wish that for him and he's right about the incredible group of colleagues that he's going to find at ESPN.

"The best of the best, incredible reporters, on-air talent. For me, that was always the best part of working at ESPN, were the colleagues who elevate you, you're around the best of the best and that was true on the NBA ... wish him the best and he's got a great team around him at ESPN."

Charania worked under Woj at Yahoo! Sports before the retired journalist transitioned to join ESPN. The 30-year-old reporter made a name for himself when he joined The Athletic.