Subscribe
Follow Us
Renowned NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the sports world with his retirement from ESPN on Wednesday. As ESPN searches for Wojnarowski's replacement, Pat McAfee already has a nomination in place.
McAfee endorsed The Athletic's Shams Charania to take over the role. His argument contained his usually funny bits, like calling Charania incredibly handsome and that his ability to shoot a basketball should help him land the job. But on a more serious note, McAfee noted how the insider is great on TV, plugged in and prepared to handle anything.
“Shams Charania is the answer,” McAfee said. “I know there's conversations happening. People are going to say this is obviously who we're going to say. But if you take our bias out of this conversation, there's only one answer and it's Shams Charania.”
Wojnarowski and Charania have been looked at as rivals as both are NBA news breakers. However, they were once on the same team at Yahoo Sports where Woj served as Charania's mentor. But when both left the company, it became a competition to see who would break the news first. Those battles made NBA trade deadlines and any interaction all the more exciting.
With that competition no longer taking place, Shams Charania is now viewed as the premier NBA news breaker. He has been writing since 17 and has been with The Athletic since 2018. Alongside Wojnarowski, there is perhaps no more recognizable NBA reporter than Charania.
In Wojnarowski's retirement message, he noted how committed you must be to handle his role. Perhaps to Pat McAfee's point, Charania's experience handling a similar position could set him up for success. Replacing his mentor turned combatant would be an unforeseen right of passage.
However, the entire landscape of sports media has changed. Woj's replacement will be the biggest job in sports media available until it is filled. And while it'll be hard to truly replace what Adrian Wojnarowski brought to the table, McAfee thinks Charania gives ESPN their best shot.
