Shams Charania has broken countless NBA stories over the years, but even for him, the night of February 1, 2025, stood apart from the rest. Appearing on The Flagrant Podcast, Charania described what he called ‘the most chaotic seven minutes’ of his entire reporting career, the moments leading up to his now-legendary tweet announcing the blockbuster Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.
“Seven minutes… Five different sources. So, I got a heads up. Yep. First heads up, Markieff Morris is being traded to the Lakers. Second heads up, Maxi Kleber being traded to the Lakers. I’m like, what is going on? Then I get another source. Three-team deal. Lakers, Mavs, Jazz. Jalen Hood-Schifino is going to Utah. I’m like, what is this three-team deal?”
“These are a bunch of guys that are on contracts that are like, are they just trading small salaries for small salaries? And then the fourth person tells me, Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. These are all the parts. Fifth person, the whole deal. I got the whole deal. And I’m like, am I being catfished right now? Is this person’s phone hacked? I got to call this person. Call them. Hear their voice. It’s real.”
“I’m like, holy. And my hands are literally shaking. I’m sweating. Mind you, the context of this—it’s like 11 central time. I’m in Chicago. The Lakers had just beaten the Knicks by a lot in New York at the Garden on a Saturday night. My hair was all down. I had my glasses on. I was getting ready to shut it down for the night. And I’m just like, my hands are trembling. I’m just like, this is unbelievable.”
“I called the fifth person. Actually, I called someone else. The phone didn’t even ring. Wouldn’t even go. So I’m like, ‘This person is definitely dealing with this right now.’ I call another person. The person picks up. I’m like, ‘There’s no way this s**t is f***ing real.’ And the person goes, ‘Yeah, it’s f***ing real.’ Next thing you know, that’s seven minutes.”
And just like that, in seven minutes, one of the wildest trades in NBA history went from rumor to reality.
That tweet, the one confirming Luka Doncic had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, dropped moments later and instantly broke the internet, amassing over 110.8 million views since then. It remains one of the most viral sports tweets of the decade.
The deal sent shockwaves through the basketball world. Luka Doncic, a generational talent and face of the Dallas Mavericks, was heading to Los Angeles to join LeBron James, creating arguably the most star-studded duo in NBA history. Anthony Davis, meanwhile, was sent to Dallas to form a new pairing with Kyrie Irving, another unexpected twist that would reshape both franchises overnight.
Charania’s adrenaline-fueled recollection perfectly captured what makes the NBA’s rumor mill so intoxicating: the chaos, the disbelief, and the rush of being first.
For fans, it was a surreal night. For Shams, it was history in real time and one he’ll never forget.
