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Shams Charania Had the Same Reaction As Everyone Else After Finding Out About the Luka Doncic Trade 1 Jan 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (center) talks with team staff during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Shams Charania Had the Same Reaction As Everyone Else After Finding Out About the Luka Doncic Trade

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Reign Amurao | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 11:01 PM ET

Most fans get their NBA information from ESPN’s Shams Charania. Whether it’s trade news, a free agency signing, or anything related to player movement, Charania is the go-to person for news. Before the trade deadline, the insider broke the news on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis.

After posting on X, many believed Charania was hacked and that the deal wasn’t real. However, he assured his followers that the trade was true and the two Western Conference teams were exchanging star players. His confirmation surprised everyone as no one saw the deal coming. There were no initial reports building up to the trade. The report informed everyone that the deal was already finalized.

Charania, like everyone else, was taken aback by the Mavs’ choice to part with their franchise player. The writer spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina about his experience breaking the Doncic-Davis trade.

“Adrenaline rush in the craziest way,” Charania said. “Me myself, in a lot of ways, I’m a fan. I’m a fan of the game. I’m a fan of the NBA first. I was probably just as floored as all the audience was and everyone around the league was when I got wind of it about five minutes before I hit send.

“I got wind that it was done and then you go into your mode of ‘Is this real? Is this really happening?’ You try to confirm with a few more people and even then, I was still in a state of shock, but the job is to report the news and you do it accurately. Once I got three, four, five confirmations, I obviously ran with it. But the time from when I heard it to when I tweeted it, it was five minutes and that five minutes was used to triple, quadruple, quintuple verify it.”

Shams Charania had a similar reaction as everyone else when he found out the #Lakers were trading for Luka Doncic.https://t.co/AuPhPJr5de

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 11, 2025

Charania already got wind of the two teams talking but never thought it involved Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis

Luka Doncic's Off-Court Discipline Allegedly the Reason Why Nico Harrison Refused to Give the $350 Million Extension 1 Feb 4, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic poses for photos with general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In Charania’s interview with Traina, he revealed that he had gotten wind of a potential Lakers-Mavericks deal. However, he didn’t know it was centered around Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. The reporter gave credit to the general managers Nico Harrison (Dallas) and Rob Pelinka (Los Angeles), for keeping it a secret from everyone.

“I had gotten wind a few days prior that these two teams might be talking, but you never think it’s around Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis.

“In today’s world and society and sports, everything is rumored, everything ideated by everyone. So, for this to happen, really bang-bang the way it did, obviously Rob Pelinka and Nico Harrison did an amazing job keeping this tight lipped.”

On Monday, Doncic will suit up for the Lakers for the first time against the Utah Jazz.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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