Shams Charania raises concerns over potential conflict of interest after Scoot Henderson tweet
NBA insider Shams Charania worries about potential conflict of interest after Scoot Henderson tweets ‘impacted betting odds’
- Shams Charania, an Athletic insider, is also a FanDuel Sportsbook partner
- Many have raised the question of whether there was a conflict of interest
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Athletic NBA insider Shams Charania has been a subject of conservation on the Association’s social media since Thursday’s Draft, regarding a tweet and his association with sportsbook, FanDuel.
Charania tweeted Thursday afternoon that Scoot Henderson’s widely anticipated No. 3 pick was “gaining serious momentum at No. 2” — a Charlotte pick — in the hours leading up to the Draft.
His tweet seems nothing out of the ordinary. An insider sharing information, what could be going on there?
Well, questions were raised about the motives of Charania – who is an affiliate of FanDuel – after betting markets shifted as a result ahead of the Hornets’ final and expected selection of Alabama’s Brandon Miller with the second overall pick.
Charania worked for media outlets; The athletics and the stadium at the time or the tweet, or more sinister, FanDuel? That is the question being asked by many on social media right now.
NBA insider Shams Charania has come under scrutiny online for his pre-Draft tweet
Charania tweeted Thursday afternoon that unlike the betting market, Henderson had a chance to go to the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 2 overall pick. In the end it didn’t happen
Adrian Wojnarowski seemed to fire a shot in his tweet about Charlotte’s section of Miller
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski ostensibly fired a less-than-subtle shot at Charania in his tweet after the Hornets took Miller.
“All the while, the entire Charlotte Hornets organization has been all in on Brandon Miller — property, front office, scouts, coaches,” Wojnarowski tweeted Thursday. “They see him as an eternal future All-Star player.”
“FanDuel is not aware of any news that Shams is spreading on its platforms,” a FanDuel spokesperson said in a statement to the Action Network.
“I don’t think there’s anything outrageous going on, but find it puzzling that a regulated sportsbook should be allowed to take bets on the NBA Draft and also employ an ‘insider’ who can tweet nonsense that can move the betting markets, former Mavericks executive Haralabos Voulgaris tweeted Friday.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport sympathized with Charania and dismissed the reality that something sinister is happening, suggesting misinformation is being obtained.
“This unfortunately happens because it’s incredibly difficult to report on the draft,” he said on the Pat McAfee show Friday.