The NBA has been relying on the same stars to serve as the face of the league for well over a decade, which has prompted many to decide the next torchbearer of the league. ESPN’s Malika Andrews named several future Hall of Famers, who have indicated that their retirement is near, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, before asking her NBA Today co-hosts who could take over the mantle.
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Danny Green was quick to suggest a name for the discussion, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards. The retired sharpshooter explained why the 23-year-old is the best suited to become the league’s biggest icon, saying “If I had to put my money on it, I’d go Anthony Edwards… He’s made a name for himself, he’s personable, so the fans love him. He talks in the media; the interviews are funny. Everybody loves him.”
Meanwhile, NBA insider Shams Charania wasn’t as certain in his response when the question was directed at him. The 30-year-old rattled off several names, including Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and reigning NBA champion, Jayson Tatum, as possible candidates. \
Andrews then reminded the panel that the backbone of previous ‘faces of the league’ was their ability to win NBA Championships. The 29-year-old then questioned whether Tatum would be the undisputed face of the league if the Celtics manage to win several titles in the next few years.
“I would like to think so, but unfortunately in this world, you get punished for having a really great team and Jayson Tatum’s been overlooked a lot because of that,” Green said, echoing a common sentiment throughout NBA media.
Compared to stars that do not have the depth of the Celtics at their disposal, like Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic, Tatum doesn’t have to take over every contest for Boston to win. And that has hurt him in several individual categories, including the MVP race. It seems the ‘face of the league’ conversation will move in a similar direction.
Jayson Tatum’s dominance has been taken for granted
As the third overall pick in a highly-touted draft, expectations were already high from Tatum from the jump. However, his immediate poise and production in the league set an even higher standard, as the multi-faceted forward has been expected to play at an All-Star level since his third season in the league.
Tatum was an All-Star in five of his first seven seasons, also leading Boston to four Eastern Conference Finals appearances and a title in that span. As a result, the standards have been higher for the 26-year-old than his peers, including Edwards and Doncic.
The two star guards were lauded for making the Conference Finals last season, while Tatum’s season would have been considered a failure if he hadn’t led his team to the Championship. Unfortunately for Tatum, competing alongside so much talent in the weaker Eastern Conference, has resulted in many overlooking him as the next face of the NBA.
