"Earned his paycheck": NBA fans react to Shams Charania recreating iconic Jimmy Butler's 2020 championship pic after intense trade deadline

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania was one busy man throughout the NBA trade season. He captured it by recreating Jimmy Butler's iconic "exhausted" photo during the 2020 NBA Finals, which had fans reacting on social media.

The 2025 NBA trade deadline officially ended on Thursday, with Charania among those at the forefront of breaking and reporting the various player movements.

Shams Charania's home network of ESPN highlighted what their senior NBA insider had to go through during the trade frenzy, with a picture of the journalist recreating Butler's photo during Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals against the LA Lakers, where he only rested for 48 seconds.

It captioned its X post with:

"@ShamsCharania after the trade deadline. Wildest deadline in NBA history?"

Fans rushed in with their reactions to the post, taking to the comments section for their varying takes.

"Shams earned his paycheck this deadline," one fan summed it all up.

"It's not easy," a user pointed out.

"Shams phone is burnt out. Someone get that man a new phone before the playoffs start!" another chimed in.

"He wanted it!" a user, for his part, highlighted.

"Dude is probably closing his eyes and going to sleep for the first time in 3 days," a fan surmised.

"Woj job was never easy," one fan said, in reference to the now-retired Adrian Wojnarowski, who Charania replaced at ESPN.

"Shams is having a legendary run," a user underscored.

The 2024-25 season set the record for most players move in one NBA trade deadline with 63. It included marquee names like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis and Butler, and All-Stars De'Aaron Fox, Khris Middleton, Andrew Wiggins, and Brandon Ingram.

Adrian Wojnarowski supports Shams Charania replacing him at ESPN

Before Shams Charania ascended to the throne as the most notable NBA insider in the business, it was Adrian Wojnarowski who was the premier authority in breaking news about the league. But when 'Woj' retired last year, he was behind Charania taking over from him at ESPN.

Wojnarowski, popularly known for his breaking news on X, which were referred to as "Woj bombs," retired after 37 years to take the general manager job of the men's basketball program of his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.

In his appearance on The Jim Rone Show back in October, Wojnarowski shared his thoughts on Charania replacing him as ESPN senior NBA insider.

He said:

"Shams texted me after I announced my retirement, and what I told him is what I would say today. I hope he has as fulfilling and as rearding of a career as I've had. And I certainly wish that for him. 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 ... Wish him the best, and he's got a great team around him at ESPN."

Wojnarowski used to have some "rivalry" with Shams Charania when the latter was still writing for The Athletic and Stadium.