Shams Charania was asked to respond to a tweet from Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo about Adrian Wojnarowski, the longtime face of NBA breaking news. Wojnarowski stunned the basketball world by announcing his retirement and stepping down from his role as ESPN’s senior NBA insider in September 2024. Charania, formerly of The Athletic, was hired by ESPN and quickly stepped into the spotlight.
While Charania now has a near-monopoly on NBA news breaking, Antetokounmpo posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he missed the man behind the “Woj bombs.” Charania responded to the sentiment.
Shams Charania Reacts to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Tweet About Adrian Wojnarowski
Wojnarowski was widely trusted to break the NBA’s biggest news, from trades to rumors and league decisions. His retirement came following a prostate cancer diagnosis, and he has since accepted a job as general manager at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure.
Although Charania has stepped up in Wojnarowski’s absence, Antetokounmpo made it clear he missed the former insider, posting the following on X:
Does anyone else miss Woj?!
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) June 11, 2025
Some fans interpreted the post as a subtle jab at Charania. He addressed the tweet during a recent episode of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I think we’re all good,” Charania said. “I really think Giannis and I are all good. I did see that, and I would like to say we all in the industry. I think I really miss him (Woj). I worked with him for two years, so I learned a lot. He was a great mentor to me, taught me a lot, and made me better on a daily basis, and so that respect is definitely there, so I definitely miss him as well.”
“I stand by my reporting on Giannis Antetokounmpo..
I very much trust what I reported” @ShamsCharania #PMSLive https://t.co/VE5VTrKyHs pic.twitter.com/hILODO7xWf
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 13, 2025
Charania continued, “He made me better. But I will say….At the end of the day, I very much trust my reporting.”
One of Charania’s biggest recent reports was that Antetokounmpo was open to exploring options with other teams following another first-round exit with the Bucks, given Damian Lillard’s injury. The timing raised eyebrows, coming just before the NBA Draft Lottery, which the Dallas Mavericks won, giving them a chance to draft Cooper Flagg.
With free agency approaching, Charania is expected to remain a dominant voice in shaping the NBA narrative, and Antetokounmpo’s name may continue surfacing in that conversation.