Draymond Green slammed the NBA after an ESPN reporter's tweet ruined the excitement of a marquee event. The league had planned a live show to announce the MVP of the season, but the reporter leaked the surprise hours before the broadcast even started.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was set to receive his second straight MVP award during a special Amazon Prime Video pregame presentation before Game 7 of the playoff series between the Cavaliers and Pistons on May 17, 2026. However, ESPN reporter Shams Charania leaked the voting results early on X.

Draymond Green alleged the league's inability to keep the winner secret as 'child’s play'. “Like, it makes our league look like we have no organization. It makes our league look like it just makes it look that’s child’s play,” Green said in his podcast The Draymond Green Show.

He felt that dropping the biggest individual honor on social media hours early was a bad look for everyone involved.

“Like we can’t hold the winner of the most prestigious individual award in the NBA. We can’t hold those results until like it’s actually time to be announced. That was a little disappointing. Like there’s no way that can happen,” he added.

The NBA had put a tremendous amount of effort into turning this MVP reveal into a marquee television moment with its new broadcast partner, Amazon Prime.

But Charania posted the final news almost 10 hours before the broadcast was set to begin. 

He argued that the NBA needs to protect the rights of all its broadcast partners, mainly during major promotional events. “Like if they’re supposed to be an announcement on Amazon Prime, like the announcement has to happen on Amazon Prime,” Green stated. 

He believes the league office needs to step in and set much stricter boundaries for reporters who get access to this information. “Like this is something commissioner Adam Silver has to do something about. Like this can’t happen,” he said.

Leaks like these drain the excitement from live sports broadcasts.

How early leaks impact the NBA moments

Reporters like Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski have changed how sports news travels. Fans now get early trade news and injury updates on their phones via social media.

Pre-emptive leaks kill the suspense of official announcements, hurting the official broadcasters.

In previous seasons, early leaks revealed MVP winners like Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo before the official ceremonies took place. In fact, this was the second consecutive year that Gilgeous-Alexander had his official MVP announcement spoiled early. 

The league is trying hard to expand its relationship with streaming platforms like Amazon Prime. These companies pay huge amounts of money for the exclusive rights to broadcast such events. 

Insider reporting provides value to the sport by giving fans immediate access to breaking news. While Many viewers love the sudden news update, some complain about the lack of drama during the official broadcast.

Green's frustration shows how the league is facing a growing control problem. When the biggest individual award in basketball gets treated like a quick social media update, the prestige of the entire sport can take a hit. 

Do early sports leaks ruin the excitement of the game for you

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Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Koushik Biswas