The Luka Doncic-Los Angeles Lakers trade wasn’t just a big moment for the players involved, it was also a career-defining episode for Shams Charania.
The NBA insider was the one who broke the news of the eye-popping deal and he spoke at length about it on “The Young Man And The Three” podcast, via Legion Hoops.
On the show, Charania said he received a tip about a Lakers trade late at night, just moments after Los Angeles defeated the New York Knicks.
At first, he couldn’t believe it himself but after conferring with several sources, he knew Doncic was going to LA for Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
He said his hands were trembling as he typed out the tweet announcing the once-in-a-generation trade.
Right away, his phone started to blow up with people thinking he had been hacked.
Shams Charania says his hands were shaking when tweeting out the Luka/AD trade news 😳
(via @OldManAndThree)pic.twitter.com/T7EANQLup8
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 13, 2025
Charania said everything happened quickly and he posted the news just minutes after learning about it.
He didn’t even have time to create a graphic for social media and soon received countless texts and phone calls.
Charania said that his phone was so active that it grew warm and he didn’t dare respond to most of the people contacting him.
He did, however, respond to the “SportsCenter” producer who reached out to him.
Within the hour, Charania was on television talking about the trade and the rest is history.
The next few days were a blur for the reporter, all while he was also juggling other news before the NBA deadline.
There will be many other trades during Charania’s career but it is unlikely that any will top this one.
It is a moment that all NBA fans and Charania will never forget.
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