NBA insider Shams Charania makes free agency decision

Shams Charania is staying put.

The 28-year-old NBA newsbreaker was a free agent this year. He has signed new deals to remain at Stadium/Bally Sports — both owned by Sinclair — and The Athletic, The Post has confirmed.

“Shams has been an integral piece in the growth and evolution of Stadium, elevating our content across both digital media and television experiences,” Stadium CEO Jason Coyle said in a statement. “He is one of the finest professionals and people in our industry, and we are truly excited to continue building upon our longstanding and trusted relationship.”

Added Steve Rosenberg, president of Bally Sports: “As one of the leading insiders in the NBA today, we are incredibly excited keep Shams within the Stadium and Bally Sports family and build upon our partnership.”

Charania appears across digital and TV platforms for Stadium and Bally Sports. He appears on Stadium’s weekly NBA show, “Inside the Association,” as well as “The Rally,” which Stadium produces for the Bally Sports RSNs each weeknight. “The Rally” effectively serves as the pregame show for the RSNs’ live sports, which include about half of the local rights for MLB, NBA and NHL.

Shams Charania is staying at Stadium and The Athletic. Stadium Shams Charania in the 2020 NBA playoff bubble. NBAE via Getty Images

This year’s Stadium NBA Draft show had 1.26 million viewers and got 4.66 million total views on Twitter — up from 1.2 million last year — and was watched for a total of 1.68 million minutes.

This is Charania’s third contract with both Stadium and The Athletic, both of which he joined in 2018. When he gets a scoop, both outlets are credited. The Athletic was acquired by The New York Times in January.

When The Post profiled Charania this past May, covering his trajectory in the business and wild screen time stats, it was noted that he could receive interest in providing content for sportsbooks. It is a possibility, down the road, that he could add a sportsbook to the list of his employers.