Amazon’s NBA Studio Hosts Fume at ESPN ‘Nerd’ Reporter for Scooping Their Big Exclusive: ‘What Are We Doing, Man?’

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Amazon’s NBA crew made it clear they were not pleased with ESPN’s Shams Charania for spoiling their big announcement about the league MVP on Sunday.

That morning, Charania announced that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named league MVP for the second season in a row. Charania cited “multiple sources” in his report, suggesting the information hadn’t been made public through official league channels yet.

Later that day, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons faced one another in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Amazon. During Amazon’s pre-game coverage, host Taylor Rooks revealed that they were supposed to be the ones to announce the MVP.

“Alright now, just to be clear, the official announcement is happening here,” Rooks said. “[Dirk Nowitzki] and [Steve Nash], you both won MVPs, but I don’t remember Shams spoiling it way back then.”

Nowitzki joked that Charania, 32, “was a baby” when he won the award in 2006.

Former player Blake Griffin took a more direct stance against Charania’s antics.

“What are we doing, man?” Griffin said. “Like, it’s Sunday, Shams! Go to brunch, you nerd! Come on!”

It’s far from the first time Charania has ruffled feathers over his thirst for scoops. In 2023, the NBA reporter unexpectedly spoiled the top pick in the NFL Draft — former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. That scoop was met with outrage by NFL fans.

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