Adrian Wojnarowski’s legendary run in basketball reporting just received its highest honor, and the congratulatory message that followed may have finally put an end to one of the NBA’s most talked-about rivalries. Woj, as fans know him, earned the Curt Gowdy Media Award, given by the Basketball Hall of Fame to those who have made outstanding contributions to basketball journalism. Not long after the announcement, his former protégé and longtime competitor Shams Charania fired off a message that turned heads.

Congrats in order

On X, Shams shared an old picture of the two working together with the caption: “Huge congrats to @wojespn on the Curt Gowdy Hall of Fame award. You set the example and raised the bar for everyone. I will always cherish our time working together. It was truly an honor learning from you, and all of your advice is appreciated to this day.”

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For years, NBA fans have treated Shams versus Woj as a spectacle of its own. What started as mentorship at Yahoo! Sports in the mid-2010s became a clash of titans once Woj joined ESPN in 2017 and Shams landed at The Athletic and Stadium soon after. Fans debated who would drop trade bombs first, agents played into the tension, and even players like Patrick Beverley poked fun at the competitive frenzy. At one point, The Daily Beast dubbed it the “most intense rivalry in the NBA.”

But with Adrian Wojnarowski stepping away from the newsbreaker grind in 2024 to become general manager at Saint Bonaventure, the contest effectively wrapped. Shams eventually filled Woj’s role at ESPN, cementing the passing of the torch. His latest post, however, goes further than any corporate promotion could. It dismantles the perception that bad blood lingered between them and underscores the respect that fueled the rivalry all along.

In the end, the so-called Woj-Shams “beef” may have been more about fans keeping score than the men themselves. Charania’s public salute reminds everyone that beneath the race to break news, mentorship, admiration and shared love for the game still define their story.