While Shams Charania is typically the first to report when NBA players leave, the respected insider’s free agency watch has already begun.
On Monday, the New York Post reported that Charania, 30, decided to leave Stadium after six years in the business.
Charania presented Stadium’s weekly programme ‘Inside the Association’ and appeared regularly on its daily programme ‘The Rally’.
More importantly, Charania starred in multiple NBA draft and free agency-related shows, drawing spectacular numbers on social media platforms.
State Farm and AT&T were among the sponsors of the content Charania created for the Stadium.
Shams Charania will reportedly leave Stadium after six years with the network
Charania joined The Athletic and Stadium in 2018 after a successful tenure at Yahoo Sports.
His departure from the network comes at a time when his deals with The Athletic and FanDuel TV are also coming to an end. It is not yet known whether he will remain with one or both teams as contract negotiations continue, sources told the New York Post.
The Chicago native’s career began while covering the Bulls for ChicagoNow. He then began writing for RealGM before joining Yahoo Sports, where he announced high-profile signings in the summer of 2016.
Charania reported on Dwight Howard’s move to the Atlanta Hawks, DeMar DeRozan’s contract renewal with the Toronto Raptors, Luol Deng’s signing with the Los Angeles Lakers and Jamal Crawford’s signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Charania became a respected source of NBA insider information and a trusted source of news from around the league.
His departure comes as the NBA looks to secure new rights deals with Amazon and NBC.
On August 14, 2018, Charania announced via X (Twitter) that he would be leaving Yahoo to join The Athletic and Stadium.
Along with its exit from Stadium and its uncertain future with The Athletic, the NBA is planning a new rights deal with Amazon Prime Video and a return to NBC after more than 20 years of absence.
Both platforms will look to build up rosters of NBA talent in the coming months for studio programming and other ancillary content.