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"Where’s Woj?" - Doc Rivers fires a brutal jab at Shams Charania over "toxic" Bucks rumors
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- "Where’s Woj?" - Doc Rivers fires a brutal jab at Shams Charania over "toxic" Bucks rumors
The 2025-26 season has been one of the most chaotic stretches the Milwaukee Bucks have experienced in years. Constant tension with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and ultimately missing the postseason altogether for the first time in a decade made it almost inevitable that locker-room dynamics would feel heated.
But what really pushed head coach Doc Rivers over the edge was Shams Charania's report revealing a fractured relationship between Giannis and Bucks organizational members.
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Appearing on the "Run It Back" show, Doc didn't hold back. Not only did he clarify that his relationship with Giannis is perfectly intact, but he also emphasized that locker-room tension is bound to escalate when the team drops games consecutively. But according to Doc, that competitive energy was misinterpreted in Shams' article, which only added unnecessary drama by pushing a narrative that didn't exist.
"We had a great relationship. Shams wrote an article that was so inaccurate that I don't have enough time to go into. He talked about our locker room thing. Yeah, we had a tough locker room day, we lost to the Chicago Bulls with a 20-point lead ," Rivers said. "I showed clips the next day of guys that were screwing up. That's what happens in a locker room."
Rivers couldn't resist firing shots at Shams
Rivers' frustration didn't stop there. He even brought up Adrian Wojnarowski, saying he misses the accuracy and reliability that came with Woj's reporting.
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"First thing I thought, 'Where's Woj? I miss Woj so much,'" Rivers added. "That was the first thought."
Clearly, Doc wanted to get back at Shams in some way with his statements. In many ways, it felt like a subtle but noticeable jab at Charania, especially considering that when Woj stepped away from NBA reporting in 2024 to take a role at St. Bonaventure University, it allowed Shams to be the undisputed reporting king of the NBA world.
Doc hasn't been a fan of Charania all year long
What is even more interesting is that this isn't the first time Rivers or Charania have fired shots at each other in the season. Earlier in the season, Rivers even joked about Giannis potentially trading Shams from his All-Star celebrity team. And those comments reportedly rubbed Charania enough that the insider raised concerns behind the scenes, complaining to multiple people.
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"He actually called the Bucks and yelled at them to take that down, " Rivers said. "Then the NBA called the Bucks, it was a mess, 'Shams wants us to tell you this, but we really don't care.' And then NBA posted it. I've heard from 10 different people that said, 'Oh, Shams is going to do a revenge article on you guys and you. And I was like, 'Ok, I don't care.'"
At this point, while Charania remains one of the most trusted voices in NBA reporting, it's clear that he is making no fans in Milwaukee, at least not within the Bucks' locker room, because with the intensity with which Doc clapped abc, it clearly seems he is ready to trade verbal jabs with Shams.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
