ESPN’s Shams Charania broke huge NBA news late Saturday night when he reported that the Los Angeles Lakers sent 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for five-time All-Star Luka Dončić late Saturday night.
The deal came so out of nowhere that there was a common question asked by NBA insiders and players alike. Was Shams hacked?
While sharing the breaking news during Saturday night’s SportsCenter, ESPN’s Phil Murphy brought that possibility up, though he quickly dispelled it.
“We’re gonna try and dial up Shams to make sure he didn’t get hacked,” Murphy said. “This has been confirmed, though.
He was not alone. NBA media members and players alike had a similar reaction.
Shams wasn’t hacked!? This is real!? What the &$#$@* https://t.co/HzGvBGRq9Z
— Eric Smith (@Eric__Smith) February 2, 2025
But as ESPN’s Bobby marks noted, it was not a hack.
In a follow-up post, which included the full trade, Charania even realized how shocking the news was, starting with “Yes, this is real.”