“$60 Million A Year And You Don’t Watch?”: Paul Pierce And Kevin Garnett Disagree On Giannis Antetokounmpo Being The Next Face Of The NBA

With LeBron James nearing the end of his glorious career, NBA fans and analysts are looking to anoint a new player as the proverbial face of the league. On the latest episode of Ticket and the Truth podcast, Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed players who could take over the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s mantle as the league’s most recognizable and marketable star.

Pierce unsurprisingly pitched Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum‘s name but was refuted by Garnett, who claimed Giannis Antetokounmpo has a stronger case to claim the throne. Pierce argued that the Milwaukee Bucks superstar claiming he doesn’t watch basketball should disqualify him from the race. He said,

“I want the dude who’s the face of the league to be passionate about this. ‘I love this s**t.’ I need to feel their pain and when they hit the pinnacle. And now, when you telling me, you making $50 million, $60 million a year and you don’t watch? Like for me, as a fan, as an older fan, am thinking like, ‘Damn, really?’ So I as a fan want that player as the face of the league to be invested in all phases of it.”

Pierce claimed that he’d want the face of the league to be a player who’s heavily invested in the sport almost to the point of being emotionally involved. He added he’d want the player to inspire the younger audience and Antetokounmpo’s comments would have the opposite effect. During the All-Star weekend, the Bucks superstar said,

“I just, in general, do not watch basketball. So, stats, highlights, how people play, I have no idea, and I love it. I love it when I go to the game and have no idea who I’m playing and what they do.”

Antetokounmpo has earned five NBA All-Defensive Team selections and has won the Defensive Player of the Year award. It’s difficult to fathom an NBA player being as effective as the Bucks superstar on the defensive end without meticulously studying an opponent’s tendencies on the offensive end. That said, Antetokounmpo could be telling the truth about not watching games live in his free time.

So, as far as what Pierce would like to see in the next face of the NBA, it is hard to argue against his reasoning for leaving the Greek Freak out of contention, despite all his greatness.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s case as the face of the NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo turned 29 last December and is entering his prime years as a basketball player. However, the Greek superstar has already won every trophy he could. He’s an eight-time All-Star, former Defensive Player of the Year, and a two-time MVP. Antetokounmpo’s crowning moment in the NBA was the Bucks’ 2021 playoff run. After a disappointing second-round exit in 2020, he led the franchise to the NBA title in 2021 and was named the NBA Finals MVP. By age 27, he had already accomplished all his goals.

Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic also has a trophy cabinet comparable to Antetokounmpo’s. However, he isn’t as proficient on the defensive end as the Bucks superstar and will likely never win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Younger stars like Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, Minnesota Timberwolves Anthony Edwards, and Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander haven’t tasted as much success as Antetokounmpo and Jokic.

By every metric, Antetokounmpo qualifies to be the face of the NBA. A son of Greek immigrants, who wasn’t a highly-touted prospect but turned into one of the best players ever is the perfect underdog story. Despite their small-market status, he has been loyal to the Bucks and has resisted the urge to join superstars on other teams, even when it’s in his best interest to do that. He led them to a title and is striving to bring more silverware to Milwaukee.

Antetokounmpo can continue pretending that he doesn’t study opponents to no avail because his game speaks volumes about his preparation. The Greek Freak is the ideal man to take LeBron James’ throne as the NBA’s face.