Shams Charania's ESPN Deal Elicits Epic Reaction From Apparent Runner-Up

Jeff Passan has plied his trade as a national Major League Baseball reporter for years, first at Yahoo! Sports before moving on to ESPN in 2019. Since then, he's established himself among the elite newsbreakers, not just in baseball but in any sport.

Still, it was at least a little surprising last week when news emerged that Passan was under consideration to switch sports and replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN’s NBA lead newsbreaker.

Wojnarowski left NBA fans in disbelief with his decision to retire and join the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team as general manager in September. Passan wasn't the only internal candidate reported to be under consideration to become Wojnarowski's successor; ESPN's Adam Schefter was also a candidate for the job, according to Front Office Sports.

Monday, the suspense resolved. Shams Charania, previously of Stadium and The Athletic, announced he was taking the most hotly sought-after job in sports media.

I am honored to join ESPN as the company’s Senior NBA Insider. I can’t wait to be part of an incredible group of colleagues at ESPN and serve the sports audience worldwide. pic.twitter.com/sBDFGIpkb6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 7, 2024

Like Passan, Charania was a protegé of Wojnarowski when both were at Yahoo! Sports.

Passan decided to let Leonardo DiCaprio's character in "The Big Short" sum up his reaction to the news of Charania's hire in a post to his Twitter/X account:

pic.twitter.com/0h7nOmtpRv
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 7, 2024

"Baseball’s better anyway," Passan wrote in a follow-up post.

Baseball’s better anyway.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 7, 2024

The social media posts were tacit confirmation that Passan at least had interest in the job that went to Charania, and perhaps was on a short list of runners-up.

Earlier Monday, Passan spent time on a San Diego radio station doing what he does best: bringing a nuanced analysis to the heated rivalry between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.