Shams Charania has received interest from both NBC and ESPN, according to sources. Charania’s contract with The Athletic is up, making him a free agent at a time where ESPN is looking to replace Adrian Wojnarowski for its lead NBA newsbreaker role.
Charania has the public backing of Pat McAfee, who licenses his show to ESPN and is considered an influential figure with the network. Charania has long been a frequent guest with McAfee.
The Athletic would also like to retain Charania.
“We’re not at all surprised by the interest in Shams, whose indispensable coverage of the NBA and its key players continues to set the pace,” Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said in a statement. “We’re proud to have him as our colleague and are committed to ensuring he stays with The Athletic for years to come.”