Almost a month ago, Adrian Wojnarowski’s retirement from journalism raised a major question. Who is the rightful heir to take over the role of ESPN’s senior insider? Too many names had been in conversation, like, Zach Lowe, Tim Bontemps, and others. But amidst all the possible choices, there was one who was and has been the audience favorite for a while now. And if you’ve guessed Shams Charania‘s name- clap for yourselves.

ESPN has announced the NBA insider for The New York Times as its new senior insider. Simply put, Shams Charania is heir to Adrian Wojnarowski’s legacy. So maybe, instead of ‘Woj’ bomb, we’ll now have ‘Holy Shams’ bomb, who knows? Thus, sharing his gratitude with the world, the 30-year-old, Chicago native took to his social media handles to inform the big news. In a single word, he is “Honored.” But to elaborate further, Charania will be leaving The Athletic and Stadium after six years of outstanding reporting. Shams Charania is a huge name in the NBA insider’s world. He has broken some of the major news from the world of basketball. One of his recent was KAT’s trade to the Knicks and Julius Randle’s move to the T-Wolves.

Meanwhile, the excitement not just within ESPN but also on Charania’s side is palpable. Moreover, he added: “I can’t wait to be part of an incredible group of colleagues at ESPN and serve the sports audience worldwide.” So yes, there will just be a shift in the organization, but Shams Charania’s style of breaking massive NBA news or his way of finding out the secrets from within won’t change.

Shams Charania’s flair for words has made him a standout in the NBA world

The now-ESPN insider Shams Charania has worked alongside Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo Sport. Do we call this a ‘circle of life’? Well, it could be a possible one. But the fact that many Charania fans were expecting to see their favorite insider take after the iconic 55YO Woj, seems to have been brought to life. We cannot ignore the fact that the 30YO, despite being in the industry for slightly above a decade has brought us news like the absolute pros of the NBA world. Therefore, when ESPN and Shams Charania made the big announcement, there were no “Oh my God! What?” moments from the fans.

However, the competition was tough, with Adam Schefter leading the choice list for a long time. People consider him the “ultimate insider” for covering both the NBA and the NFL simultaneously. Moreover, he’s been in the business a quite some time now. But well, things do happen in strange and interesting ways. Who knows, maybe the craze that Shams has over the general public might have played one of the roles. Meanwhile, the quick and accurate information that the ex-Stadium insider provides the fans is surely another reason for his selection. But above all, the flair of words and the way Shams Charania narrates his blockbusters is worth learning from.

At the same time, this new journey marks the end of a previous one. A glorious one, might we add. ESPN personality Pat McAfee was among the first few to congratulate Shams on his upcoming ventures. He said: “We have seen this little lad Shams, who at one point would only tweet about lunch happening.” McAfee added: “Uses a fork to eat oatmeal or yogurt or parfaits or ice cream, a man who sets alarms to remind himself to drink water, a man who is always properly shaved up, faded up, hair perfect, lighting perfect, and a man who has worked his [expletive] off, since he was 18 years old, to network, to do right by people, to gain a following and some influence, and now senior NBA insider for ESPN… American dream, baby.”

As a new journey awaits Shams Charania, we are sure he will continue to stir the NBA waters. Adrian Wojnarowski’s time at ESPN came to an abrupt end, and now the reins are in the hands of one the best insiders out there. So, you can expect the best of both worlds where mastery of words meets the thrilling world of the NBA. But only this time, the excitement would be greater because who knows when the next ‘Holy Shams’ bomb will drop?