The future of the NBA is looking strong. The league is filled with the most talent it has ever seen, all of whom are aiming to take the crown as its face. Who will that be?
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For the last 20 years, the NBA has belonged to LeBron James. However, the King is now two months away from his 41st birthday. And he probably only has a couple of seasons left.
Stephen Curry did keep that mantle for a bit after helping the Warriors become a dynasty. But The Chef, despite still playing inspired ball, is nearing his end, too. But then, Gilbert Arenas is not yet ready to look beyond the two legends.
Arenas was asked who he thinks the current faces of the NBA are in the league on VladTV. The interviewer suggested that it was someone new since LBJ and Curry are on their way out. “Those two are the face of the NBA,” Arenas replied.
“Basically, the NBA is searching for the new face of the NBA,” claimed the three-time All-Star. “You were trying to give it to Anthony Edwards, but I think his outside noise, she’s f****** it up for him.”
It’s true. The Ant Man was more hyped than any other player before the 2024-2025 season, especially after his viral interaction with Barack Obama during the Paris Olympics. But his legal issues off the court may have pushed him further down the list.
It’s also noteworthy that Ant has blatantly admitted to not wanting to be the face of the league. “That’s what they’ve got Wemby for,” he said earlier this year.
Gil then brought up other potential candidates for the face. “Lamelo Ball, he’s done tattooed himself to the point where they’re not going to put you on these American Express ads unless you’re willing to cover yourself up.”
VladTV wondered why Gil thought so. After all, LeBron also had a bunch of tattoos, and that didn’t stop him from being commercialized. “Think about early LeBron, they put him in suits,” responded Arenas.
One player whom Arenas thinks will bounce back from his “bad luck” is Ja Morant. “The face of the NBA in who the NBA was pushing was Ja. He is the only person that I can see that can come out of it because there’s really no victim. He’s easier to forgive. He’s more fun-loving with the kids than anybody. He has the kids’ culture,” he said.
Arenas was, of course, talking about Ja’s infamous social media posts where he was brandishing firearms. Things got worse for him when he started miming guns on the court during games, along with “throwing grenades” into the crowd.
“Then you have Wemby [Victor Wembanyama], who is the cleanest. Jayson Tatum, he’s with Jordan brand, but he got hurt. SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] is making a name for himself,” added Gil, who is still uncertain of who will eventually take the mantle.
Honestly, SGA feels like the closest thing to a winner. He’s dominant on the court and keeps his life relatively quiet off it. If the OKC Thunder manage to go back-to-back, prepare to see Shai EVERYWHERE.
It’s a given that the NBA will eventually find its new face. However, that would mean the league will no longer have Curry or LeBron. We have to appreciate them now, because they’ll be sorely missed.
