In the fast-paced world of NBA reporting, few moments are as nerve-wracking as breaking a blockbuster trade. For Shams Charania, the announcement of Luka Dončić’s shocking trade to the Los Angeles Lakers was a career-defining moment—and one that tested his composure.
Speaking on The Young Man and the Three podcast, Charania recounted the chaos and pressure of reporting the trade.
“My hands were shaking,” he admitted. “You had to make sure, like, every detail was right. You had to make sure there was no typo. And I just remember, like, my hands were trembling.”
The trade, which sent Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, was so sudden that Charania didn’t even have time to prepare a graphic.
“It’s not like you make a Luka Dončić graphic beforehand. You don’t even know,” he explained.
The process of confirming the trade details was equally intense. Charania revealed that he reached out to five different sources to verify the information before publishing the news. From the moment he first heard about the trade to the time he broke it, only five to seven minutes had passed.
“It was a whirlwind,” he said.
The aftermath of the announcement was just as chaotic. Charania’s phone was inundated with messages and calls, with many questioning the validity of the news.
“I had up to like 300 text messages,” he recalled. “Everyone had the same response: ‘Did you get hacked? Did you get hacked?’ People were like, ‘Are you OK? Did something happen? Who took your phone?’”
“My hands were shaking” — @ShamsCharania goes in detail on how the Luka-AD trade came about with @KOT4Q, Cam Johnson & @talter. 🚨 NEW YM3 TOMORROW 🚨 pic.twitter.com/riKR26HhXI
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) March 13, 2025
Despite the frenzy, Charania’s report proved accurate, and the trade sent shockwaves through the NBA. The deal marked the first midseason exchange of reigning All-NBA players and reshaped the futures of both franchises. While the Lakers have surged in the standings with Dončić leading the charge, the Mavericks have faced turmoil, with Anthony Davis sidelined due to injury.
