Shams Charania officially replaces Adrian Wojnarowski as lead ESPN NBA insider

Shams Charania will replace Adrian Wojnarowski as senior ESPN NBA insider at ESPN following the veteran reporter’s shocking September retirement.

Charania, who served as The Athletic’s NBA Insider and Wojnarowski’s protégé and chief rival, joins ESPN after six years with The Athletic. Wojnarowski worked at ESPN from 2017-2024 before moving on to a general manager role with the men’s basketball team at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.

The announcement comes following weeks of speculation over who would replace Wojnarowski. Reports surfaced that both lead MLB insider Jeff Passan and lead NFL insider Adam Schefter were candidates for the role, with Schefter potentially covering both leagues as the “ultimate insider.” Passan posted on X after Charania’s announcement celebrating that he was staying in baseball.

The move once again gives ESPN the top insider in the sport. ESPN personality Pat McAfee was one of the first to congratulate Charania on his new role, after stumping for him to get the job on the Pat McAfee Show in prior weeks.

“We have seen this little lad Shams, who at one point would only tweet about lunch happening,” McAfee said on the show after the news broke. “Uses a fork to eat oatmeal or yogurt or parfaits or ice cream, a man who sets alarms to remind himself to drink water, a man who is always properly shaved up, faded up, hair perfect, lighting perfect, and a man who has worked his [expletive] off, since he was 18 years old, to network, to do right by people, to gain a following and some influence, and now senior NBA insider for ESPN... American dream, baby.”