### Shams Charania Joins ESPN as Senior NBA Insider

ESPN has signed Shams Charania as its new Senior NBA Insider. Charania expressed his excitement about joining the network, emphasizing his eagerness to collaborate with ESPN’s renowned team and engage with sports enthusiasts globally.

This development follows a report by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports earlier in the week, which highlighted that ESPN and Charania were in the initial stages of contract discussions. These negotiations began after Adrian Wojnarowski, a prominent figure in NBA sports journalism, announced his departure from ESPN on September 18. Wojnarowski has opted to take on a new role as the general manager of the basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Wojnarowski left behind a $20 million contract in his move away from ESPN.

Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post mentioned in mid-July that Charania’s commitments with The Athletic and FanDuel TV were nearing their end, with deals expiring within the following couple of months. Furthermore, Charania exited his position at Stadium on August 19 after six years with the company.

Despite ESPN’s decision to bring Charania on board, he was not the only candidate under consideration to fill Wojnarowski's shoes. McCarthy noted that ESPN had also contemplated expanding the responsibilities of senior NFL insider Adam Schefter to include NBA coverage in an "Ultimate Insider" role. Baseball insider Jeff Passan was another internal candidate considered for the position.

Following the official announcement, Passan took to social media to share his thoughts on Charania joining ESPN.