Shams Charania Explained

Shams Charania
Birth Date:1 April 1994
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, US
Education:Loyola University Chicago
Occupation:Sports reporter

Shams Charania (; born April 1, 1994) is an American sports reporter for The Athletic and Stadium where he covers the NBA. He also works for the sports gambling company FanDuel.

Early life

Charania was born in Chicago to Pakistani Ismaili Muslim parents who had immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s.[1] He was raised in Wilmette, Illinois and attended New Trier High School. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago.

Career

He began his sportswriting career at age 17 covering the Chicago Bulls for ChicagoNow, a subsidiary of the Chicago Tribune. In 2012, Charania began writing for RealGM, and reporting small transactions around the league. After several years, Charania caught the attention of Adrian Wojnarowski, then working for Yahoo Sports.

After joining Yahoo, Charania began to break news of deals and high-profile signings in the summer of 2016,[2] including Dwight Howard's move to the Atlanta Hawks, DeMar DeRozan's re-signing with the Toronto Raptors, Luol Deng's signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jamal Crawford's signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.[3] This set off a friendly rivalry between Wojnarowski and Charania.[4]

On August 14, 2018, Shams announced via his Twitter account he would be leaving Yahoo Sports for The Athletic and Stadium at the end of the month.[5] In 2023, Charania reported the first three picks of the 2023 NFL draft on Twitter ahead of even NFL insiders, causing many users on the platforms to post memes in response.[6]

Charania is a paid contributor for the sports gambling company FanDuel.[7] [8] His work for the company, alongside his work as a reporter, has been described as a conflict of interest, as his reporting can shift betting odds and potentially reveal pertinent info to FanDuel.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Two Ismailis chose the path less traveled – a career in sports journalism . The.Ismaili . en . 20 November 2019.
  2. News: Russell . Jake . June 25, 2016 . 'The Vertical' NBA draft show live stream was a huge hit with fans. Sorry, ESPN. . en-US . Washington Post . January 30, 2018 . 0190-8286.
  3. Web site: Meet Shams Charania, the College Senior Breaking NBA News in Class . January 30, 2018 . Complex . en.
  4. News: July 13, 2017 . Adrian Wojnarowski And Shams Charania Now Do Battle For NBA Scoops . en-US . UPROXX . January 30, 2018.
  5. News: August 14, 2018 . Twitter . August 14, 2018.
  6. Web site: Taylor. Cody. Twitter reacts to NBA reporter Shams Charania tipping NFL draft picks. USA Today. April 27, 2023. May 3, 2023.
  7. News: 2023 . A Reporter’s Tweet Moved NBA Draft Odds. He Also Works for a Gambling Company. . Wall Street Journal.
  8. Web site: Dator . James . 2024-07-02 . Shams Charania’s conflict of interest keeps swinging NBA gambling markets . SBNation.com . en.
  9. News: Strauss . Ben . 2023-06-23 . FanDuel makes betting lines. FanDuel’s Shams Charania moves them. . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.