On May 24, 2026, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith publicly defended Shams Charania on social media following a wave of criticism. The debate over Charania's role in NBA media has spilled over into podcasting, where critics are questioning the value of transaction-heavy reporting. On The Ringer NBA Show, Bryan Curtis revealed that NBC actively avoided bringing in a reporter like Charania for its upcoming coverage. Curtis explained that network executives said, "We also don't want a Sham Charania type character who is making the show about something Giannis might or might not do in a month, rather than the game that's gonna start in 20 minutes."
Curtis's co-host, Logan Murdock, agreed that the nature of basketball reporting has become uniquely hostile. He pointed directly to "the Shams thing where it's so funny the difference between the NFL" to illustrate how different the NBA media landscape is from other major sports, highlighting the relentless, cutthroat nature of basketball insider culture.
As networks prepare for massive rights transitions, the backlash against non-stop transaction gossip suggests a growing appetite for actual game analysis. Whether Shams Charania and his scoop-driven peers can maintain their grip on pregame television remains to be seen, but the pushback from major networks indicates the tide may finally be turning.