The quest to find the next ‘face of the league’ has been going on for a while. There are several contenders for the unofficial title, and some of them have also shown a lot of interest in being the centerpiece. However, people keep circling back to the one man who has no interest in being that, Anthony Edwards.
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On last night’s episode of Nightcap, Chad Johnson reiterated his pick for the next face of the league. This happened after Shannon Sharpe read an Ant-Man’s statement from 2023 where he said that he’d like to face the Warriors in the playoffs.
Ant said that he was looking forward to going back into the playoffs as he wants to play the Warriors in a seven-game series. When asked why he was eyeing the Warriors in particular, Ant said, “I mean, because Draymond talks so much trash. That’s pretty much the only reason.”
Well, it seems like the former #1 overall pick has finally gotten his wish, as the Wolves and the Warriors will be going against each other in the WCSF in a couple of days.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will host Golden State on Tuesday for Game 1 as Ant Man got his wish pic.twitter.com/1RgWlxPCuY
— SneakerReporter (@SneakerReporter) May 5, 2025
Ocho believes that the game was missing a character like Ant, who could not only play well but could also bring entertainment value. He said, “Somebody like that, that can talk it, and then walk it. It just makes it that much better. That’s why I say I’d love for him to be the face of the league.”
Ocho meant no disrespect to Jayson Tatum, who has previously expressed his wish to be the face of the league and has all the necessary qualities. However, Tatum isn’t as expressive as Ant on the floor, which makes some people pick Ant over him.
Tatum’s mild-mannered approach to the game on court, devoid of trash-talking, puts him in the Tim Duncan conversations- people can agree that he’s one of the best players in the world, but he lacks the sort of expressive personality that makes him stand out to a casual watcher.
Ant, on the other hand, is a bona fide superstar. While he may not be as talented as Tatum, his personality on the court makes up for that, and that’s what Ocho was trying to convey in his statement.
Anthony Edwards doesn’t want to be the face of the league
The NBA has had some incredible superstars throughout the decades who have represented the league. From Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, to Stephen Curry, they’ve all been interesting characters on top of being the best players in the world.
Anthony Edwards fits perfectly in that bracket. Even though he is yet to win a championship, he has the strongest case to become the face of the league. The situation would’ve been perfect if he had any interest in carrying that responsibility. Earlier this year, when he was asked if he considers himself the prime candidate for the job, he said, “Not really.”
Anthony Edwards when asked he considers himself to be a top candidate to be the face of the league going forward: “Not really.”
Why not? “That’s what they’ve got Wemby for” pic.twitter.com/P5jnJgyKJj
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 15, 2025
Ant believes that someone like Victor Wembanyama would be better suited for the role. Funnily, Tatum has been open about his wish to carry the mantle, but he often gets overlooked because of his shy, reserved personality.
In February last year, he said, “I feel like it’s mine to take. I do feel like, if we win a championship, it would be more distinguished and clear. But I understand I’m in that shortlist for sure.”
Tatum ended up winning a championship that year, and yet, no one changed their opinion on him.
