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After Adrian Wojnarowski retired, Shams Charania was tossed out as a possible replacement for ESPN. On Monday afternoon, the NBA insider shared the next chapter of his career with the world.
As many expected, Charania will jump to ESPN to replace Woj. He reported the news as he prepares to be the new senior NBA insider for the flagship network.
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It did not take long for NBA fans to flood the comment section regarding Shams Charania's big change. Many were blown away to see him make the jump to ESPN and fill the void left behind by Woj.
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Other fans chimed in and cited this move as a passing of the torch moment in NBA reporting. Aside from Woj, Charania is arguably the most tapped-in journalist as the two regularly fought to be the first to break news.
"Woj passing the torch to Shams is iconic," one fan said.
"This is like Rodgers taking over for Favre," another fan said.
"SNATCHED WOJS CHAIN," said one fan.
Charania's reported move to ESPN essentially marks the end of his time as the top NBA insider for The Athletic.
MLB insider reacts to Shams Charania being hired as senior NBA analyst for ESPN
While Shams Charania was seen as the favorite by many to replace Adrian Wojnarowski at ESPN, he was not the only candidate. Over the past few weeks, there were numerous people tied to the vacant position in reports.
Early on in the process, it looked as though Woj could be replaced internally. Aside from all the talented analysts in the NBA division, ESPN was looking at their top insiders in other sports too. Adam Schefter's name was tossed around as a possible NBA and NFL correspondent. Jeff Passan, who is the network's top MLB insider, was also reportedly in the mix.
After Shams Charania broke the news of him joining the staff at ESPN, Passan decided to have some fun with the situation. He posted a clip from the hit movie "Wolf of Wall Street," where Leonardo DiCaprio's character repeatedly states that he isn't going anywhere.
He ended up making a follow-up post, jokingly stating that he thinks baseball is a better sport than basketball.
Passan never did so, Schefter did help out with NBA coverage as ESPN sought out a replacement. Despite the NFL season still being in full swing, he made numerous posts about some of the top storylines in the league. Schefter shared reports on Joel Embiid's extension with the Philadelphia 76ers, along with news of Karl-Anthony Towns being traded to the New York Knicks.
