The meteoric yet consistent rise of Luka Doncic has gravitated numerous NBA critics toward him over the years. And much to the Slovenian’s delight, Paul Pierce has now become the latest addition to this list. The Boston Celtics icon even recently endorsed the Dallas Mavericks star recently, while laying down conditions for him to become the face of the league.
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In the recent episode of UNDISPUTED, Pierce expressed his viewpoint, stating, “If Luka wins the chip, he gets Finals MVP, he no doubt will be the best player in the league. Not only he will be the best player in the league, I’ll give him the face of the league. This is what can happen this year”.
Interestingly, this bold declaration brought out wild, yet very different reactions from the panel members. The show’s nucleus, Skip Bayless, agreed with Pierce by giving him continual nods of approval. However, his co-panelist, Keyshawn Johnson, found it difficult to digest this scenario, as he intentionally detached himself from the conversation.
Shortly after this, Pierce took the matter a step forward, moving from the West to the East. He outlined how the Celtics’ talisman, Jayson Tatum, could reach a similar feat, mentioning, “At the same time, I feel the same way with Jayson Tatum too. If they win and he’s the champ and he’s Finals MVP, he is the best player and face of the league”.
“If Luka wins the chip and gets Finals MVP, he no DOUBT will be the best player in the league AND face of the league.” — @PaulPierce34 pic.twitter.com/701gVGSXfE
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 27, 2024
Considering the current situation around the league, the race to become its new face remains heavily contested. Alongside the two aforementioned names, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a handful of others have also emerged as the candidates for the honor.
One of these two could soon put an end to all the suspense and arguments around the honor. Amidst the anticipation, Allen Iverson had previously opened up about his preferred choice for the face of the league.
Allen Iverson picked Luka Doncic for the honor
Iverson revealed his preference during his last month’s interview with ESPN. Upon the co-host of the show, Kendrick Perkins, bringing the topic up, AI initially struggled to single out one name for the honor. However, he eventually praised the gameplay and capabilities of Doncic, indirectly backing him to become the new face of the NBA.
“Luka is crazy, man. His skill set is ridiculous. This guy is scoring 70. It’s so wide open…It’s hard to guard Luka one-on-one and his skillset is so crazy,” the 2001 MVP declared.
.@alleniverson named Luka Doncic when asked who is the next face of the NBA pic.twitter.com/CrR04eei3G
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 12, 2024
This high praise certainly tilted the conversation in favor of the Mavs star a month back. Notably, he has been able to sustain this hype around him since then, capitalizing on the momentum time and again. As a result, the franchise remains just a step away from announcing itself into the NBA Finals after 13 years, adding volume to AI’s stance.
So, Doncic remains on the brink of the unprecedented in the NBA by becoming the first-ever non-American player to reach this feat. This will certainly boost his status around the world while marking the beginning of a remarkable chapter.
