Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green congratulated Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on becoming the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards.
But the veteran forward did not appreciate how ESPN NBA reporter Shams Charania apparently took advantage of his partnership with the association by leaking news of Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP win ahead of the official announcement.
Why Draymond Green Criticized Shams Charania for Leaking the NBA MVP
In the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show” on Monday, the outspoken four-time NBA champion ripped into Charania and the league administration for allowing the results to leak just before the official announcement.
Green, a five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team awardee, felt that Charania spoiling the result of the NBA’s most prestigious award was a major black eye for the league, making it look like child’s play and disorganized.
“To tweet at 6:00 in the morning who the NBA MVP is, It’s actually embarrassing,” Green said. “Like, it makes our league look like we have no organization. It makes our league look like … It just makes it look like that’s child’s play.”
The Warriors’ power forward understood that ESPN is an NBA media partner and that it is normal for the media giant to report on league happenings.
But the timing of Charania’s scoop spoiled what was supposed to be a surprise for fans and players awaiting the results of the regular-season MVP voting.
Green urged NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to act to prevent a similar incident in the future. He admitted that he initially thought Charania’s tweet was fake, given the proliferation of fake news on social media today.
Meanwhile, Charania responded to the firestorm of criticism over the leaked report. During his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, he defended his actions, saying it was his duty to report that Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP before the league’s official announcement.
“This is a massive story, and my job is to report the news, and so that’s all I focus on,” he said. “That’s what I wake up thinking about. That’s what I go to sleep thinking about. I feel the responsibility.”
In a shot at his critics, the ESPN reporter said he will not change his approach to delivering sports news, pledging to continue doing his job to the best of his ability. He also shrugged off criticism of his aggressive reporting style, saying his report is accurate and needs to be told.
