Woj would never!
PublishedFebruary 14, 2026 11:20 AM EST•UpdatedFebruary 14, 2026 10:56 AM EST
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When you think of someone who gets paid to talk about sports for a living, you would be excused if you expected some baseline athleticism or skill tied to their game of choice.
When I pick up a football, no one mistakes me for Tom Brady, but I can at least look like I know what I’m doing on a gridiron.
All too often, though, the reality is that these guys who are getting paid high six-figure and low seven-figure contracts to break down sports every day look like they’ve never touched a ball in their lives.
READ: Shams Charania On ‘Fraud’ Watch After Giannis Antetokounmpo Stayed With Bucks
I’m reminded of Darren Rovell’s brutal “20-yard dash” a few years back.
Another guy who has brought great shame to the name of sports journalists everywhere is NBA insider Shams Charania.
Charania was hooping it up in the Celebrity All-Star Game Friday night, and although he looked the part, he put up a stat line that would make even some YMCA chuckers blush.
Yikes! I hope Kay Adams was watching.
Shams’ performance is multi-faceted too.
For starters, he missed every shot he took, and the shots weren’t even close either.
His teammates routinely got him the ball with wide-open looks at the rim, and ESPN’s insider golden boy was unable to capitalize, hitting the front rim on all but one.
The best part, however, is that after clanging four three-pointers, Shams was calling for the ball while being iced out by his teammates.
Brutal.
I don’t want to be too tough on Shams, though. It’s not like he airballed anything and at least looked like he had shot a basketball before Friday night.
But for a guy whose life and career revolve around basketball, it was a poor showing.
Predictably, the fine folks on X let him have it in the comments section as well.
Now I won’t sit here and say that I could’ve done any better than Shams.
I’m not particularly good at basketball and when I play, I’m usually a three-and-D type of player, except without the three.
But I also guarantee if I were in a “celebrity” flag football game, I’d be able to hit a few wide-open receivers as a quarterback.
Shake it off, Shams! Get back in the lab and work on your jumper.
America loves a redemption story.