This article has been updated with additional details.

ESPN is making a significant change by appointing Shams Charania as its senior NBA insider, succeeding Adrian Wojnarowski, who was once considered a mentor but has since become Charania’s fierce competitor.

On Monday, Charania shared the news of his new role at ESPN through social media, expressing his excitement: “I am thrilled to join ESPN as the Senior NBA Insider. I look forward to working with an amazing team at ESPN and serving our global audience.”

At 30, Charania has made a name for himself in the NBA reporting landscape over the last decade. He started breaking stories as a teenager before learning the ropes under Wojnarowski at Yahoo! Sports. Their rivalry for breaking news became as exciting as the games themselves, though both insiders have largely refrained from discussing each other publicly.

Charania was a common guest on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where McAfee openly supported Charania’s candidacy to fill Wojnarowski’s role after his retirement.

Who is Shams Charania?

Hailing from the Chicago area, Charania began his journalism career in high school with ChicagoNOW, a branch of the Chicago Tribune, where he penned daily game recaps. This opportunity led to a position at RealGM while he was still a university student at Loyola-Chicago.

Due to his young age, the Chicago Bulls initially denied him media credentials, prompting him to travel to Milwaukee to connect with NBA players. His big break came in 2014 when he reported on Luol Deng’s trade from the Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers for RealGM.

Charania was soon hired by Yahoo! Sports while still attending college after Wojnarowski recognized his talent. The Washington Post has noted that Charania was offered a spot with Wojnarowski at ESPN when he left Yahoo! in 2017 but chose to remain at Yahoo!. His scoops have woven into the very fabric of NBA narratives, earning him a one-word nickname—”Shams,” akin to “Woj.”

“He will be the reporter people turn to in the NBA—whether it’s tomorrow, next year, or five years from now,” Wojnarowski stated in a 2016 interview with Complex.

How old is Shams Charania?

Shams Charania celebrated his 30th birthday last April.