As the NBA’s aging crop of superstars begin to contemplate retirement, the conversation regarding the next face of the league has continued to heat up. There has been pushback on the subject however. LeBron James, who has ample experience in the role. James questioned why anyone would want that level of recognition.
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Media members haven’t been the kindest to say the least to players over the decades, especially ones with high stature. “Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game on a day-to-day basis shit on everybody?” LBJ said.
LeBron’s candid comments prompted a response from Rashad McCants. The former guard questioned why Russell Westbrook isn’t being lauded as the face of the league considering how much hate he has received in recent years.
“So [Westbrook] has been the face of the league for 5 years now!!!!! Right???? Who has received more hate than Russ????” McCants tweeted. The 40-year-old clearly took LeBron’s comments out of context amidst his anger, but it appears McCants wanted a chance to air his complaints about the widespread disrespect toward Russ.
So @russwest44 has been the face of the league for 5 years now!!!!! Right???? Who has received more hate than Russ????
— Rashad McCants (@SoundbiteKing) February 28, 2025
James never said that the hate a player receives is directly proportional to how close they are to the face of the league. Westbrook has shown to still be an impactful player, but the former MVP has definitely lost a step and is certainly nowhere near the conversation for the face of the NBA at this stage in his career.
Besides, McCants’ argument falls flat when you consider the fact that James has received far more criticism in his career than Westbrook. This isn’t to disparage the level of disrespect ‘Brodie’ has gotten because it has been a ton. But, the Lakers superstar is a global icon who has fielded ‘hate’ from every corner of the world at this point.
LeBron cleared the air regarding his comments on social media
LeBron has been catching heat in general as of late but recently took to X to share his thoughts in a multi-post thread. The King seemed to know his comments would garner a response similar to McCants’, so he quickly took the opportunity to clear the air.
“Exactly made my point but anyways. Happy this convo has started. It ain’t about ‘face of the game” and it ain’t about one person or one show, it’s about the culture of basketball, the most beautiful game in the world,” James started his tirade, seemingly prompted by McCants.
LeBron called for more attention to be paid to the smaller-market stars in the league rather than simply focusing on the downfalls of a few. The future Hall of Famer stressed that this conversation has nothing to do with himself. Rather, he felt the need to speak out against the impact constant negativity has been having on the league in general.
