Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has never been shy about speaking his mind, and this time he turned his ire toward ESPN insider Shams Charania. The fuse was lit when Charania broke the news that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had secured his second consecutive NBA MVP award — before the league had a chance to make it official.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Green unloaded on Charania and the NBA itself, calling the early leak both embarrassing and unprofessional. He argued that the league should have better control over how such a prestigious honor is revealed, especially when it has a broadcast partner like Amazon Prime waiting to make the announcement.
“Listen, I think the NBA has to do something about that,” Green said. “Ultimately, you’re the NBA. You control the media. Shams is an NBA reporter with ESPN, who’s a partner of the NBA. To tweet at six o’clock in the morning who the NBA MVP is, it’s actually embarrassing. It makes our league look like we have no organization. It makes our league look like… That’s child’s play.”
Green didn't stop there. He questioned how the league could let such a major revelation slip out ahead of its scheduled broadcast on Amazon Prime, calling it a failure of protocol. “If there’s supposed to be an announcement on Amazon Prime, the announcement has to happen on Amazon Prime. This is something Commissioner Silver has to do something about. This can’t happen. Come on. You leak it on Twitter?”
The Warriors veteran didn't mince words when describing his reaction to seeing the news pop up on social media. “I actually thought it was fake, because I saw somebody else tweet it,” Green explained. “I had to start searching… and then go on Instagram, and, like, oh, no, it’s true…. Come on. Something has to be done. That cannot happen.”
Green also pointed out the irony of Charania's position, noting that the reporter's prominence is directly tied to his relationship with the league. “It would be one thing if it’s not a prominent reporter in the NBA. But, like, it’s Shams. Shams has to be in partnership with the NBA to be as prominent as he is. That can’t happen. I thought that was embarrassing.”
The leak has sparked a wider conversation about the evolving relationship between the NBA and the media. Some fans defended Charania, arguing that he was simply doing his job in a hyper-competitive news environment. “That idiot a plant & is all about who gets it out 1st… immature. Woj will always be missed,” one user wrote on X. Another added, “I agree with Draymond about something? Wtf… lol and I appreciate that he put this on the league not Shams bc Shams was doing his job.”
Others see the incident as a symptom of how modern sports reporting has changed. “That’s not necessarily the NBA. That’s what media/reporting has become,” wrote a third fan. The question now is whether the league will take action to prevent a similar premature MVP announcement in the future.
Green's criticism echoes a broader frustration with how leaks can undercut the NBA's carefully planned events. The league has invested heavily in creating special moments for its broadcast partners, and a leak like this can undermine that effort. As Green put it, “What are we doing?”
Whether the NBA will respond with new protocols or simply let the incident slide remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Draymond Green isn't letting this one go quietly. And with his track record of speaking out, don't expect him to hold back anytime soon.
