The NBA might have a problem on its hands – still having aging superstars as the faces of the league. Stephen Curry (36) and LeBron James (39) are both in their twilight years now and will, unfortunately, be out of the NBA before long. This only makes it more pressing that a younger name separates itself from the rest to take over the reins.
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Hoping that Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is that name, NFL legend turned analyst Shannon Sharpe decided to dispense some very important advice to the young star. On one of the more recent episodes of Nightcap, Sharpe was joined by a fellow NFL Legend, Chad Johnson, during which time, they took an interest in who is set to be the next face of the NBA.
Johnson mentioned how the league was once grooming Zion Williamson to eventually replace LeBron James as the face of the league, however, things just never seemed to pan out. But as the two NFL greats were talking about the Suns-Wolves series, Anthony Edwards came through as the next big candidate. While comparing him to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, Sharpe said the following on the young star.
“Who’s the first guy to win a championship? Because you’ve got to win, you’re gonna have to win, he’s(Anthony Edwards) doing that. This is the second year in the playoffs…Jayson Tatum said, ‘I want dibs.’ Ant-Man clearly, because with him, he has the personality, he has the charisma, he has the charm. He knows how to talk.”
Shannon Sharpe further brought in Ja Morant as one of the possible stars who could be considered as a future face of the league, given that he ‘got his head on straight.’ But in a nutshell, the show host claimed that this title will only be claimed by the person who wins an NBA championship first amongst this group of young players.
Admittedly, Sharpe may not be completely accurate with his theory on this topic. While yes, one of these players will have to win an NBA championship before they really have a case in this conversation, winning it all first here doesn’t matter all that much. Instead, there are other factors that matter quite a bit more, like marketability, personality, and the public’s perception of the player.
At this moment, it may just be a tad too early to make a legitimate call on who the next face of the NBA will be. However, if we were to make one, it does appear that Anthony Edwards is the favorite amongst all candidates at the moment.
Anthony Edwards has it all to be the next face of the NBA
Anthony Edwards has been receiving quite a bit of praise from NBA analysts and fans alike. And lately, even former NBA stars have been joining the party.
Carmelo Anthony stated how Edwards has the opportunity to be the biggest name in the NBA in the coming years. However, he also made sure to mention that the 22-year-old needed to keep his head down and keep getting better, instead of pulling stunts like he did during All-Star weekend.
Carmelo Anthony isn’t the only former player to believe in the Edwards. In fact, Boston Celtics legend, Kevin Garnett even drew comparisons between Ant and a rookie Michael Jordan. Praises don’t come much higher than that.
Hopefully, Edwards does realize the opportunity he is being given at the moment and can make the most of it.
