Certainly it is one of the most curious rivalries in sports, considering that it involves neither athletes nor teams. Because Adrian Wojnarowski (54) and Shams Charania (29) work as reporters in the NBA cosmos, reach millions of followers via their social networks – and have been in bitter competition for years for the so-called scoops, which means something like a breaking To publish news before others.
Even on Wikipedia you can find the reporter feud listed in a list, right under the legendary rivalry between Shaquille O’Neal and the now deceased Kobe Bryant. Woj was once a kind of mentor for Shams. In 2015, he called Shams, who was still studying at the time, the “best young reporter in the business” and took him under his wing at Yahoo after he was the first to report the trade of Bulls star Luol Deng and had frequently caused a stir with his headlines.
In the meantime, however, the relationship between the two has cooled down completely. For ESPN (Woj) and The Athletic (Shams), both search for all relevant news from the NBA cosmos every day. According to the Washington Post, other NBA reporters and officials are now describing their relationship as being akin to “Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker” from the Star Wars film series, with tensions between the two extending beyond their respective galaxies.
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Both should repeatedly demand from their sources that they get the news before the other, even if it’s only for five seconds – that’s how big the fight between the two reporters has become. Mentor Woj (6.1 million followers on X, formerly Twitter) has an advantage over his former protégé Shams (2.1 million followers). However, they both try everything to outdo the other.
Shams avoids dates so he doesn’t miss any news
Shams is even supposed to avoid dates so that he can publish any news first. This year, during the tumultuous free agency, the 29-year-old posted a screenshot showing him 19 hours and one minute of screen time on his phone.
In general, Shams is known for being very vocal about his sources, which, in addition to NBA officials and coaches, mostly include players. But with an eye for timing: Shams should always write when his informant’s favorite team is winning.
“One time I got a birthday text from Shams out of the blue,” one person who worked in an NBA front office recalled in the Washington Post report. “I have no idea how he knew my birthday.”
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“Woj bombs” are still too big for Shams
Nevertheless, a story published by Woj carries significantly more weight, which is why it is referred to as a so-called ‘Woj bomb’. He has been maintaining his network for over 20 years. He got to know many of the current coaches or general managers at a young age, before they had much to say, which is why they naturally trust him particularly now.
Shams, on the other hand, is better connected to younger people – especially players like James Harden and Kyrie Irving. However, both he and Woj are accused of defending their sources too strongly, sometimes even turning facts in their favor.
Some of the Athletic employees are said to have even complained to the editors of a Shams story about Irving because, in their opinion, Shams portrayed the NBA star too positively after his refusal to be vaccinated. Similar accusations reached Woj after he repeatedly advertised for the players and their agents.
“If you don’t like Woj, then you talk to Shams – and vice versa”
In general, this is now part of the business. The teams would not voluntarily provide reporters with information that would in turn be used to their own detriment, although there are isolated exceptions. According to the report, a former GM stated that he had an employee’s emails checked because of an existing suspicion: It turned out that every email with internal information was forwarded directly to Woj.
Because this usually cannot be prevented, managers now often speak specifically to reporters in order to place their stories. In general, it’s like this in the NBA scene now: “If you don’t like Woj, then you talk to Shams – and vice versa,” a former ESPN employee is quoted as saying by the Washington Post.
Shams was sorely wrong about the Lillard trade
Shams recently suffered a bitter defeat when he announced that Damian Lillard would be traded to the Toronto Raptors, but he was wrong. However, Woj was right again, Lillard moved to the Milwaukee Bucks and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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“Woj has created a network of moles,” explained NBA agent David Falk. “It’s a group of people who have decided that they feel more loyalty to Woj than to the teams they work for.”
But Shams, who deleted his incorrect change report shortly afterwards, didn’t let up. A few hours later the next insider information followed, this time about the background to the trade. And he will certainly be looking for the next scoop again, just like his former mentor Woj.
2023-10-09 10:00:01
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