LeBron James continues to give Father Time a run for his money. However, one day, the King will be dethrowned; who will assume the NBA crown?
San Antonio Spurs v Los Angeles Lakers / Sean M. Haffey/GettyImages
Throughout the 2024 Olympic Games, it was clearly shown that LeBron James, at 39 years of age, is still somehow LeBron James. Despite this, the truth remains that Father Time is undefeated, even if he can be delayed.
There will come a day when LeBron James is no longer the guy who can take over the game with the flip of a switch when he is no longer the face of the NBA. The question is, who will take over as the next face of the league?
That title is historically volatile aside from dominant eras by Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and of course LeBron James. Some eras have been dominated by rivalries like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell or Magic Johnson and Larry Bird; others have featured a host of players competing for that title like in the early 1980s or the late 90s.
There was a time when it looked like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were expected to be the aires, but LeBron’s continued success has continued far deeper into their careers than expected. Even Giannis, who is the youngest listed by six years, will turn 30 before the start of the new year.
But what of the next generation? Who of the NBA’s best, brightest, and youngest can take the mantle? Is that player already in the league? Or is their arrival soon to come? Another question to ponder is whether, in this era of stardom, a player is even capable of being the face of the league anymore.
If there were to be a player capable of replacing LeBron James as the next face of the NBA, here are five candidates.
5) Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg has yet to play even a college game. However, the hype is most assuredly real, as the young Duke Blue Devil wowed when scrimmaging with Team USA this summer. Still just 17 years young, Flagg has a bright future ahead of him if all goes as planned, and will make one lucky tanking team very happy next summer.
A smooth athlete with an impressive s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁set as a shooter and a facilitator, Flagg has the makings of a generational offensive talent. Defensively, he boasts a strong profile that combines his athleticism with ideal size and length and the s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 and desire to guard the opposition’s top weapon. Confidence is no issue for Flagg, but he’ll need to prove himself continually against increasingly challenging competition.
Flagg will have a target on his back as soon as he enters the league, but that’s nothing new for the nation’s top recruit. The potential is simply that until it has the chance to be proven, but based on what has been seen by him so far and the additional year to two years that LeBron James inexplicably appears to still have, Flagg just might have next in the NBA.
4) Luka Dončić
For a while, it seemed Luka Dončić was the next big thing in the NBA. To his credit, that has largely been true; it’s just that the success of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and others has kept him from entering a tier of his own: that, and a continued refusal to improve his ability defensively.
Still, Dončić remains an offensive enigma and one of the brightest stars in the entire NBA. Coming off of a recent NBA Finals appearance, the stage is set for Dončić to take his game another step further. While often it seemed he suffers from Allen Iverson/James Harden syndrome—that being a lack of support and talent on his roster, the addition of Kyrie Irving has allowed Dončić to improve thanks to some additional breathing room.
It’s not all Irving though, as the Mavericks feature a thrilling air attack in the postseason with Dereck Lively II, Derrick Jones Jr., and Daniel Gafford. While Jones Jr. is no longer in town, the Mavericks replaced him with knock-down shooters Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall.
The offensive boost they have provided has been one thing, but the defensive ability of Lively and PJ Washington also significantly minimized Dončić’s defensive inefficiencies. Josh Green, who is now with the Charlotte Hornets, was also a major part of that, meaning that Luka must improve in his own right, lest he continue to be a target defensively.
While that’ s the ideal scenario, it’s Luka’s offense that makes him a superstar, and it’s that ability—mixed with his world-wide recognition—that could allow him to become the face of the NBA.
3) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Perhaps the least offensive—from a detractor standpoint—player in the league, there is nothing not to like about OKC star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. From his two-way ability to his infectious personality, SGA leads one of the most talented and likable squads in the NBA.
SGA entered himself in the perennial MVP conversation two years ago and improved yet again last season, leading the Thunder to the top seed in the loaded Western Conference after finishing the previous season as the tenth seed. For a time there were questions about his production being of the empty calorie variety. After last season, that thought is completely unwarranted as he has successfully proven himself and now only needs to do so in terms of team postseason success.
At 26 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander is the oldest player on this list, which arguably limits his potential to further improve, which would increase his odds of becoming the face of the league, but he’s continually improved in each season.
It’s also important to consider that Steph Curry, the face of the league if not for LeBron, did not truly become an icon until his age 26 season. That’s not the bar, of course, as Curry is a top 20 player in NBA history, but it does show that not every player finds true greatness in their first few seasons in the league.
SGA has a long career ahead of him and he is already the face of a franchise with one of the brightest futures in the NBA. If he can find it within himself to improve once again, Gilgeous-Alexander may not just have an MVP trophy and a Larry O’Brien trophy in his future, but a chance to truly take over the league.
2) Anthony Edwards
Already dubbed by some as the next Michael Jordan, Anthony Edwards is ready for the crown, he simply has to grab it. After bursting on the scene as a 19-year-old rookie, Edwards has continued to improve in each season in the league.
Before becoming the self-proclaimed star of Team USA, Edwards led the Timberwolves to their third straight playoff appearance and their first top-three finish in the West since 2003-04. For nearly 20 years, the Timberwolves were widely considered more of a punch line than a competitive NBA team.
No player has been able to lift this franchise the way Edwards has. Yes, Karl Anthony-Town and Rudy Gobert are important contributors to this team, and the depth is rounding out nicely between Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid, but the irreplaceable cog on this team has unquestionably been Anthony Edwards.
His personality will rub some the wrong way, but great players who know they’re great always do. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and even Michael himself were not universally loved. While some of those issues transcended basketball, it’s also true that greatness breeds animosity.
Many have and will continue to take issue with his, at times, immature approach to the game, but his infectious personality will enamor many more. Already one of the biggest stars in the NBA, Edwards’ trajectory continues to aim upward. As he enters his age 23 season, the future still largely belongs to Anthony Edwards.
1) Victor Wembanyama
The only current NBA player with a potentially brighter future than Anthony Edwards is non-other than the player with the most draft hype since LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama. It was a tale of two halves for the San Antonio Spurs’ latest generational talent.
Wemby was impressive enough through the end of 2023, but it was once 2024 came around, he continued to improve with each passing landmark date. Averaging 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.1 blocks per game through Dec. 31, Wemby went on to average 23.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 blocks from Jan. 1 on.
After the All-Star game, his averages increased to 23.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 4.5 blocks through the end of the season. Those numbers have only been duplicated across an entire season twice since the league began counting blocks and the only player to do so is one Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Even beyond the counting stats, Wembanyama’s impact was among the top in the entire league despite his NBA inexperience. Since 2000, only three rookies have finished among the top 10 of Player Impact Estimated (PIE). Those three are Blake Griffin (2011), Joel Embiid (2016), and Victor Wembanyama. That’s not a bad collection of guys to be in the same conversation with.
Wembanyama recently displayed his winning ability on the largest stage, leading his native France to a finals matchup against Team USA. While he was ultimately cut short of his gold medal goal, he will undoubtedly be a fixture both in the NBA and Olympic
At 20 years of age with all the potential in the world, no player is better positioned to be the future face of the NBA than Victor Wembanyama.
