The NBA is getting ready to move on from LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant as the faces of the NBA, and one potential candidate is being overlooked.
The NBA is a superstar-driven league, and for more than two decades, the Association has been able to rely on LeBron James. He is perhaps the most marketable player of all-time, but he is 40 years old.
He, along with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, is nearing the end of their career, prompting discussions about who will take over as “the face of the NBA” once those three legends no longer carry the torch.
Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Victor Wembanyama, and Anthony Edwards are expected to headline the next generation of NBA basketball, but one high-level player might be overlooked, and he’s playing in the postseason.
Despite a disappointing team season that saw the Orlando Magic riddled by injuries and land only the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference postseason, Paolo Banchero is one of the best young players in the NBA. Last season, he led the Magic to the fifth seed and earned his first All-Star nod.
This season, he was limited to only 46 games but posted a career-high 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
He certainly fits the criteria to be the face of the league if he continues to ascend, and is only 22 years old.
“One thing I wanted to touch on was Paolo and how we’re continuing to have the conversation about the face of the league and who’s going to be the American player,” said Matt Barnes.
“We have our greats in Steph, KD and Lebron on the backside of their careers. His name is not being thrown out, but he’s been nothing but absolutely incredible. What is he averaging? 29 in the playoffs. 6-9 or 6-10, the versatility, the dawg, he and Wagner have a nice connection over there.”
While the Magic have a talented and deep young roster, Banchero is easily the centerpiece they are building around, and is the face of one of the more exciting on-the-rise teams in the NBA.
“More than anything, obviously, they’re going to get beaten by Boston in the first round,” predicted Barnes. “I’m a big fan of Paolo. He should definitely be in the conversation of the faces of the league in the next three to five years.”
Despite a clear first-round exit looming, the Magic are going to be fixtures in the postseason for the next several years.
As basketball becomes a global sport, it’s no secret that the NBA benefits from foreign talent, although the “face of the league” has always been an American. There’s really no good reason why Doncic, Wembanyama, or Gilgeous-Alexander can’t take the torch, but the vast majority of NBA fans are in the US, and during international competitions, fans would like to cheer for both their country and favorite player.
Other American players 25 years and younger are Edwards, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and LaMelo Ball. However, Edwards and Williamson have well-documented histories as womanizers, which could be bad for the league’s image. Morant has been suspended multiple times for gun-related incidents, and Ball is simply not media-trained, often dropping unnecessarily explicit quotes during interviews.
Banchero, meanwhile, seems to be clean-cut, unproblematic, and is a product of the NCAA, which allows him to promote the league during March Madness, an overlooked pro in his favor, even if James did not go to college.
While there are certainly more talented players, Banchero seems like a safe choice for the league to focus its marketing on long-term.
