ESPN’s Shams Charania didn’t hesitate to leak Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 2026 MVP victory on Sunday ahead of the official announcement on NBA on Prime.
The insider’s decision to spoil the league’s most prestigious regular-season award didn’t sit well with the NBA world, including former star forward Blake Griffin, who struck a chord with viewers by taking a shot at Charania on Sunday night’s Amazon playoff broadcast.
Blake Griffin Garners Support for Calling Out Shams Charania Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP Leak
Gilgeous-Alexander’s second straight MVP win didn’t come as a significant surprise. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar was once again the best player on the team with the NBA’s No. 1 record (64-18). The 27-year-old also delivered another sensational offensive season, ranking second in the league in scoring at 31.1 points per game.
Still, the final MVP voting results, which saw Gilgeous-Alexander receive 83 of a possible 100 first-place votes, with the runner-up, Nikola Jokić, garnering 10, were expected to be part of a formal Amazon Prime announcement.
Instead, Charania, who has long taken pride in his speed at delivering breaking news, took to X on Sunday morning to disclose the news in advance.
“Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVPs, multiple sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote.
Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has won his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the 14th player in league history to win back-to-back MVPs, multiple sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 17, 2026
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The insider promptly faced pushback on X for cheapening the big reveal, with Griffin later seizing the opportunity to echo that sentiment.
“What are we doing? Like, it’s Sunday, Shams. Go to brunch, you nerd,” Griffin slammed Charania before the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons’ Game 7 Eastern Conference semifinal showdown.
Prime crew roasting Shams on the pregame show lmao
“It’s Sunday Shams. Go to brunch you nerd” 😂 https://t.co/iPvcEtGOGO pic.twitter.com/qLjiMdk9cN
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 17, 2026
The six-time All-Star’s blunt remark quickly made the rounds on X, with the sports community overwhelmingly siding against Charania.
“Shams really was a nerd for that,” sports photographer Jay Holloway concurred.
Shams really was a nerd for that https://t.co/A2A0kdLIVk
— Jay Holloway 📸 🎙️ (@BlkMANjoy_) May 18, 2026
“Blake Griffin calling Shams a nerd is so good lol,” Chorus.fm senior editor Drew Beringer cracked up.
Blake Griffin calling shams a nerd is so good lol https://t.co/Dw59qlEWBq
— Drew Beringer (@drewberinger) May 18, 2026
“DIRECT shots 😭,” basketball personality Tyler DeLuca reacted.
DIRECT shots 😭 https://t.co/IzYRJlzcZF
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) May 17, 2026
“Fake journalism isn’t exclusive to wrestling. Their reaction to Shams spoiling the MVP announcement is on point,” wrestling parody account Triple Hausen’s Thoughts weighed in.
Fake journalism isn’t exclusive to wrestling. Their reaction to Shams spoiling the MVP announcement is on point. pic.twitter.com/o2lczb02Or
— Triple Hausen’s Thoughts 💭 (@TripleHHHPaulL) May 18, 2026
“I would love to hear more about how NBA players, coaches, front office, other media members really feel about Shams,” Utah Jazz writer David J. Smith opined.
I would love to hear more about how NBA players, coaches, front office, other media members really feel about Shams. https://t.co/F7EnipYcNS
— David J. Smith (@davidjsmith1232) May 18, 2026
However, a select few came to Charania’s defense, including football writer Jay Clemons, who reasoned that the insider was just fulfilling his ESPN duties.
“It’s not Shams’ job to make sure Taylor Rooks and Blake Griffin have first dibs at an announcement they’re not entitled to … top-shelf reporting is a competition between media entities,” Clemons asserted.
It’s not Shams’ job to make sure Taylor Rooks and Blake Griffin have first dibs at an announcement they’re not entitled to … top-shelf reporting is a competition between media entities. https://t.co/OtCMMBCp5x
— Jay Clemons (@ByJayClemons) May 18, 2026
Regardless, given his extensive track record of leaking major news, Charania appears unlikely to stop playing spoiler anytime soon.
