LeBron James recognized during the All Star which is evident despite his impressive level at the 39 years. There is less and less left for its definitive withdrawal. The man who has worn the crown of the competition for the last two decades presents a major challenge for the NBA. Who will be his heir? Also that of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. This season, with the lavish landing in the United States of Victor Wembanyama, it is clear that he is one of the big bets in the league. Not the only one, however, but the largest.
Throughout the all-star weekend in Indianapolis, there were many players who responded to the great unknown of the future. Who will be the face of the NBA when LeBron is gone? The answers, more vague than concrete, focused mainly on the long-term potential of Wemby and the current group of established young superstars, from Luka Doncic until Jayson Tatumgoing through names like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and including types such as Donovan Mitchell y Devin Booker.
Adam Silver’s opinion
“It’s a question that used to come up: “Who will be the next Michael Jordan?”he remembered Adam Silver during his press conference at All Star. At that time, he was in charge of the entertainment branch of the American competition. He still remembers the answer David Sternformer commissioner, to that question: “Anyone who proves on the track that he should be.”
“The league is in very good hands, from the time of Michael’s retirement until today, look at the magnitude of international players that come to the league. The volume of basketball that is played around the world,” developed the current head of the NBA. “Again, I think new players are not named. They show the worldto the league, who deserve to be seen in the same rare position that players like Michael, Kobe, LeBron and others,” he concluded.
Adam Silver poses with Victor Wembanyama at an NBA event in France
Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty
In this sense, stars like And Morant y Zion Williamsonnot so long ago the greatest American hopes to regain the MVP title in the competition, have not shown everything that was expected of them and have fallen from the category of potential heirs to the crown for now.
LeBron and Curry don’t get wet, Gianns does
No one better to answer the question than LeBron James himself, who used his own story to illustrate the process of becoming the totem of the NBA. “When I came to the league, I didn’t see myself as the face of anything, I didn’t see myself as the next Michael or his successor. The first thing I thought was that I should start over,” said the Los Angeles Lakers star, 20-time All Star.
James began his career as number one in the 2003 Draft, an edition that at the media level can only be compared to the recent crowning of Wembanyama with number one in 2023. The story and comparisons, of course, write themselves. “I don’t think you can say, ‘OK, this guy’s next,'” LeBron said. “You have to let it happen organically and see what happens. We have great, great players in this league who can carry the torch if they put their head and effort into achieving it,” he concluded.
Victor Wembanyama, greeting LeBron James last year
Getty Images
Giannis Antetokounmpo He did not hesitate to place the French alien above the rest of the candidates. “If you have health, you have everything. You know he’s going to dominate the court because he’s indefensible. You can’t beat him one-on-one, and I don’t know if you can’t beat him two-on-one or three-on-one either. We have tried and we couldn’t, many have tried and we couldn’t either,” said the Greek star of the Milwaukee Bucks, two-time MVP of the league and one of the greatest exponents of his definitive internationalization. “As long as Victor is healthy, the league is his. As it is LeBron’s”he stressed.
Stephen Curry Instead, he looked at the small group of more established candidates, all of them just turned 24 years old. “There are many types to choose from in this group of 24 that are here,” commented the star in reference to his colleagues in the All Star. “You see Luka, Ant and Shai, people who are reaching their prime and they already have many distinctions such as All Star and All NBA,” he added. The case of the point guard and reference of the Golden State Warriors It is paradigmatic and a good example of how the next face of competition can emerge suddenly and without warning.
Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry, after the Conference Finals in 2022
Jeff Chiu / AP
His first all-star game came just a decade ago, at his 24 years, precisely. At that time, he had not yet been to more than one playoffs in five seasons and no one imagined that he would become the top three-point shooter in history and, for many, the best shooter of all time. Two MVPs, four rings and six finals in the next eight years cemented his position in the Olympus of the competition, and turned him overnight into one of the few faces capable of competing with that of LeBron and Kevin Durant.
“You must understand the authenticity surrounding this matter, and Me LeBron and KD have done it and tried to do it our way. For each player it may be something different, but the league is in good hands at the level of young talent, and I think they understand the issue and the magnitude of the platform that we all have,” pointed out one of the great protagonists of the weekend, who made history by beating Sabrina Ionescu in the first mixed duel in 73 editions of the All Star.
Wemby does not hide
Meanwhile, of the flesh, who was one of the players with the greatest visibility in the All Star despite not participating in Sunday’s game, emerged from the weekend as the main candidate of the current generation to pick up LeBron’s baton. His stature, both physical and social, with an unusual maturity for his 19 years, remembers James’ know-how as soon as he landed in the NBA. Rising Stars, skills contest, special appearance on prime time television and several league conferences in Indianapolis show that he is ready.
So do his words. Have you imagined being the next face of the NBA? “Of course”, answered the Frenchman from the San Antonio Spurs. “It’s something I’ve been working on for years, because being labeled as one of the top faces of the league is not primarily basketball, but also the image you give in front of everyone“, he explained.
An alien of the new millennium and a magnificent crop of those born at the end of the nineties, coinciding precisely with the withdrawal of Michael Jordanthey assure that there will be faces to inherit the stardom of LeBron James. She will need to fill her shoes.
+MD
Victor Wembanyama is already hot on the heels of LeBron James
Sensation on social networks and stores
That Victor Wembanyama is very well positioned to inherit LeBron James’ star is evidence as much visual as it is statistical. His status as a unique and fascinating player is accompanied by an authentic viral phenomenon around him. Right now he is already the second most viewed player on social networks in the competition, only behind ‘The King’. He is on his heels, as acknowledged by Mark Tatum, number two in the NBA, in conversation with MD.
His own dunk from Space Jam on December 31, 2023 against the Boston Celtics has become the most viewed video in the history of the league… with 150 million views on Instagram alone! His San Antonio Spurs ‘1’ jersey is the third best-selling in the United States this season.
”His game and popularity are self-explanatory, and this is just a window into the future of what the NBA would be like if it continues on this trajectory,” Tatum argued before the All Star. “He has a bright future ahead of him. He’s doing things that had never been seen before. He leads the ‘rookies’ in points, rebounds and blocks, also the league in this last section… the ‘Wemby’ effect has been spectacular, and has accumulated more than 1,000 million views on our digital channels,” the executive detailed.
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2024-02-21 11:01:36
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