The NBA knows that LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant can’t play forever. And when they’re gone, they won’t be able to market them anymore. That will leave a hole for many casual fans who are only in touch with the most familiar and sustained faces.
Being the “face” of an association doesn’t necessarily mean you’re always the best player. James has not been the top player in the NBA for some time now but has always been the face of the league regardless of his on-court stature. That’s shown in his level of discussion, marketing, and TV presence.
Many of the best players in the sports are matched up with uninterested, unmarketable personalities. Nikola Jokic is one of the most gifted, unique, dominating forces in basketball and has a style of play that is ridiculous to explain out loud. The only way to fully understand is to, well, watch it. There’s just one asterisk: he’s boring. He’s visually nondescript aside from his stature and doesn’t have a personality offering of much to publically flaunt.
This same line of logic goes for Giannas Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončiç – both are visually captivating talents with not much off-the-court appeal. That, coupled with some mild language barriers for all three players, makes public appeal capped, even if that cap is still high in comparison to the rest of the league.
When turning to North American stars, the league has tried to find the next big face to push – someone that both interpersonally and stylistically could appeal to the NBA’s home demographic.
There’s been trial and error. Zion Williamson was pinned as the most ideal candidate back in 2018 when he began his career at Duke. He had a big smile and an optimistic, family-friendly personality to go along with what appeared to be the first sighting of “LeBron-like” characteristics since James entered the league in 2003. But the Pelicans fowards’ injuries have kept him off the court, generating less highlight-worthy plays to attract popularity.
Ja Morant had a natural trajectory after winning Rookie of the Year after the 2019-20 season, but off-the-court issues took over his image, keeping him off TV and diminishing his image. He’s back on the upswing as the Memphis Grizzlies look to capture a top-four seed in the Western Conference, but there’s still a lot of ground to reclaim.
Jayson Tatum was, and still is, a prime candidate. The level of winning he did at an early age primed him as someone who could be put on display at a young age – amble success always makes someone easy to market. But it took Tatum a good seven years before grabbing his first title with the Boston Celtics, which included a lot of disappointment along the way that jeopardized his ability to be a “true number one option”.
Now, we’re at Anthony Edwards, who’s run to the Western Conference Finals with the Timberwolves propelled him to high regard. His boisterous demeanor and high-flying athleticism have drowned Michael Jordan’s comparisons and have made him the prime candidate to take over the front of American basketball once James retires. But we need more from him individually, and Minnesota will have a tough climb.
But there’s one more candidate. One with a subtleness that none of the others have – a subtleness the NBA might not realize it needs.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s profile and makeup are surprisingly uncomplicated.
First, he wins. A lot. Since being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has been the center of one of the best-executed rebuilds in modern sports. In his first few years with the team, Alexander was pointed as just another example of a B+ player on a bad team who could rack up impressive metrics while still losing. But then piece by piece, the picks gained from general manager Sam Presti trading Paul George started to emerge and a fleshed-out team started to form. He went from a “stat padder” to a winner.
The Thunder currently hold the best record in the Western Conference and have the highest odds to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.
But Alexander’s personality is effective. He displays a confidence that feels smoother to the touch than other outspoken players of his rank – a mature quaintness that still lets everyone know that he knows how good he is. Several of his post-game quotes have gone viral for how unintentionally cool they seem. Everyone loves it.
And so do his teammates. The Thunder display a unique ethos of bonding, not being afraid as the youngest team in the NBA to make their friendship with one another a part of their identity. That puts Alexander in a uniquely positive light as a leader of a core that is not only gifted, but pleasant for both familiar and casual fans.
The icing on the cake? His sense of fashion has gone viral on every platform you can think of, separating him from many of the more traditional personalities at the top of the leaderboards.
If the Thunder win the title this season, Alexander’s natural ascension to the front of the NBA would be accepted by many, including NBA executives.
Written By Anders Pryor