Shams Charania is in preliminary contract negotiations to join ESPN as its new senior NBA insider, sources tell Front Office Sports.

The high-level talks for Charania to succeed retired insider Adrian Wojnarowski are not finalized, warn sources familiar with the discussions. But the 30-year-old Charania is emerging as the clear favorite to succeed Wojnarowski, who retired from journalism to join his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University, as the GM of its men’s basketball program.

The Charania-ESPN talks are at the “5-yard line,” says one source. Charania’s prospects have been elevated by the ringing endorsement of ESPN star Pat McAfee, said another source.

McAfee has publicly stumped for ESPN to hire his frequent guest star as the natural successor to Wojnarowski. Said McAfee on his show: “Shams Charania’s the answer. I know there’s conversations happening. … But if you take our bias out of this conversation, there’s only one answer. It’s Shams Charania.”

NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video are also interested in the telegenic hoops insider, whose current deals with The Athletic and FanDuel TV are about to expire. Charania boasts 2.4 million followers on X/Twitter; Wojnarowski has 6.5 million. 

ESPN has also weighed whether to ask senior NFL insider Adam Schefter to cover both the NFL and NBA as the “Ultimate Insider,” say sources. Or possibly moving MLB insider Jeff Passan to the NBA beat.

ESPN declined to comment.

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