LeBron James, the face of the league, and the last of his kind

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LeBron James was right when he intimated how toxic the discourse is around the game, and how it feels unlikely someone will step forward to become the face of the NBA when he finally walks away.

Well, if he walks away.

There will be a vacuum of sorts, but at some point we will have to reset the conversation. The crown is heavy, and ever since James showed up as a high schooler with a Hummer, it feels like all eyes have been on him, all the time.

For better or worse.

He’s been an admirable statesman, and even his public missteps have been minor. Perhaps he was confident in the team of advisors he surrounded himself with, armed with unusual maturity and foresight. Perhaps he thought it was ordained he carry the weight.

Either way, he’s one of one and, more importantly, last of his kind.

There isn’t a game he’s played that hasn’t been televised, no urban myths about his 50,000 career regular-season and playoff points. We’ve witnessed it all, every interview, every Nike commercial, every exhausting endeavor.

It’s exhausting to consider, the scrutiny he’s been under for well over 20 years. Perhaps that’s a reason there’s been no natural successor, and even LeBron’s co-star atop the NBA’s mountain, Stephen Curry, didn’t come from the NBA machine — he came out of nowhere, and his presence, like LeBron’s, has been a blessing.

Finding the next face isn’t clear, and there’s no criteria for who it should be. There are no artificial boxes one must check in order to receive the torch. On one hand, the people decide. On the other, a player must want it.

One without the other leaves a void. One without the other is Jayson Tatum, who may want it but seems to lack the extra “it” factor — either in personality or in excitement of his game — for everyone to embrace.

One without the other is Anthony Edwards, who has the look, the game and the charm, but doesn’t want the responsibility. That smile is on display for Sprite commercials and Adidas spots, but he clearly has shied away from it, knowing a clean-cut image is required, knowing the attention can be suffocating, and the conversation can be…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/lebron-james-the-face-of-the-league-and-the-last-of-his-kind-051958039.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-03-05 05:19:00

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