“That ESPN Money is Different!!”: NBA World Reacts to Shams Charania Taking Over For Adrian Wojnarowski

Barely a month after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski announced his retirement from the role of NBA insider, the company has filled the void. Taking over is none other than Shams Charania, formerly of the Athletic. Shams and Woj had a friendly rivalry of sorts in the NBA community, and fans often pit the two against each other based on who would announce trade deals first.

They couldn’t contain their excitement for the Chicago native, however, and rushed to congratulate him online. After his contract with The Athletic ran its course, Shams became a free agent, with the opportunity to join any network he chose. However, some fans point to one reason in particular that made ESPN different from other suitors.

https://twitter.com/statdefender/status/1843349693809688650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Another fan compared Shams’ move to Kevin Durant’s iconic decision to join the Warriors. Shams joins the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, and Pat McAfee on an already stacked ESPN roster.

This is like when KD joined the Warriors. Need to see the size of that contract https://t.co/niAExwDybv

— Ryan (@ryan_rcr) October 7, 2024

The topic of curiosity regarding the move remains the details of the contract. One fan alluded that ESPN terminated Zach Lowe’s contract a week ago in order to make space on their payroll for Charania.

No wonder they let go of Zach Lowe, they wanted to make room for the King

— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) October 7, 2024

It is a safe assumption that ESPN paid top dollar to acquire Shams.

But in order to gauge the size of the contract offered to Charania, a few facts need to be taken in mind. Stephen A., who was negotiating a contract for himself to extend his stay with the network, received an offer from ESPN of $18 million per year. The ‘First Take’ star declined in hopes of a deal worth closer to $25 million a year.

Obviously, Shams doesn’t hold a candle to Smith’s notoriety, or on-screen presence. However, his contract can be compared to another top insider on ESPN’s books.

Adam Schefter, their best NFL insider, was also a steal for ESPN and currently has a contract valued at $45 million over 5 years. Woj’s last contract with ESPN guaranteed him close to $7 million a year, so it’s safe to assume that Shams’ contract too would be somewhere in the ballpark of that figure.

ESPN have prided themselves on their premium sports coverage, and it’s no surprise that they’d take great care of their most valuable assets.