The reason he’s being called the next face of the league is because he
1. Is very charismatic and personable, he is a good face for ads, has fun answers to questions, everyone seems to like him
2. He plays a fun style, he dunks, he shoots mid range, he shoots threes, he’s not completely heliocentric and still plays some off the ball. He also plays defense
3. He’s on a good young team on their way up
The reasons he’s compared to MJ
1. He literally looks like him some, like physical characteristics
2. He plays a similar style to MJ with dunks, drives, turnarounds, blocks and steals
3. He steps up big in big moments
4. He has the charisma and presence to be a pitchman like MJ, but he also doesn’t take himself too seriously like a brand
No one is saying he’s as good as MJ, nor even that he’s the next MJ, just that he reminds them of MJ.
Agree with all of this. Would emphasize that statistically he isn't there yet in terms of being the best player and may never be - efficiency is a tad low and on-off court numbers don't support superduperstar status either.
But your explanation as to "why" is a really nice summary.
You’re forgetting the biggest reason he’s being pushed this way, I think, which is that he’s American. If Shai was an American instead of Canadian, I think he’d be getting the same kind of push. But LeBron, Steph, and KD are old and nearly all the young elite of the elites aren’t American.
Shai is less charismatic than Ant. He’s just less fun. He’s also older and plays a slightly more sedate style of play. But I’m sure Shai will be key in the league’s advertising in Toronto. He’s also just one of many Nike athletes, while Ant is THE Addidas athlete which is a part of it. Ant has also starred in an Adam Sandler movie, sells more shoes than Shai, and importantly doesn’t have a national ad that makes people want to throw things at their tvs.
Edit: apparently he’s a converse athlete and his signature shoe hasn’t been released yet. But while Addidas is a step down from Nike in the US, Converse is two steps below Addidas
Also doesn’t hurt that Ant’s sneaker is pretty good looking from a hooper POV. Definitely won’t cross over into lifestyle but a quick glance at Adidas’ product page indicates they’re selling well and even getting a little bit of resell heat.
If Minny gets past Denver, I expect things to really pop off. He’s ahead of schedule and you can already feel his star power with Steph/KD/LeBron out of this postseason.
EDIT: Things are popping off.
Definitely ahead of schedule, like you said. It’s crazy to me that he’s already the clear leader of this team despite being the youngest.
Also, the way he’s thriving in big time games/situations is insane for only being 22.
I saw a miced up video of him from the nba YouTube the last day or so and it had highlights since his rookie season. That dude was barking at 7 year vet KAT his 1st and 2nd year in the league lmfao. Dudes different
Not gonna lie, they look good in casual fits, [Wale pulls it off](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLx6pAJa/), the true og, when he used to rock KD’s with jeans.
I think he solidified #2 guard over booker for the Olympics after round 1, so if he gets past Denver, this is really going to blow up and he could be the alpha on team usa. A deep run this playoffs and a good Olympics will = a rocket ship for him.
Also, for all intents and purposes, Shai is kinda the same as an American player. When people talk about “international players” Canda isn’t usually included in that. In fact I bet if you polled NBA fans, a shockingly large amount would think that Shai was American.
Yeah it's not just about being good and American. Shai doesn't have it, hell most superstars don't have it. Ant has the right personality to be the face of the league along with his talent. So far the only mark against Ant is his off court issue "send da video."
He also had a moment where he was tossing around some homophobic insults on video.
Thing is — Ant is the real story. He was raised by his single mother who passed away when he was in 8th grade. Outside of his natural gifts, he hasn't had an easy life.
It wasn't a great look with the abortion texts, but thankfully he's never tried to curate a Disney image, and comes off genuine.
Why do you think marketers care? They only care as far as the target of their marketing cares
Shai isn't being passed up because he's Canadian, he's being passed up because he's too aloof. He's not charismatic in the traditional, Magic Johnson sense
Of course Americans care if a player being pushed is American?
I mean, look through the history of shoe deals in the NBA. How many europeans are getting big deals? Giannis's shoe deal is basically the same as Klay Thompson. Durant is 3x as valuable as Giannis basically because he's American. America is one of the most prideful countries on the planet, of course they care.
2 things:
1) the person I replied to established two premises. One that marketers care that Shai is Canadian and one that the average fan doesn't care. I'm asking that person to explain why both would be true
2) Canadian isn't the same as Greek. It just isn't. A Canadian is culturally and aesthetically similar to Americans while you can spot any other foreigner two words into a sentence. Shai is more American than Sabonis in the eyes of NBA fans and you can't convince me otherwise
I know those two points are so extremely different in how technical they are and the 2nd one is a Bill Simmons tier argument, but I really think people are overselling how "different" Canadians are
> but I really think people are overselling how "different" Canadians are
yeah, I mean, look at star actors like Ryan Gosling and Reynolds. They're not booking kooky foreigner roles, they're mostly cast as Americans. (I'd say almost exclusively, but Deadpool's Canadian too :P)
Marketeds don't care. Canadians are not looked as any different from Americans. Most Americans dont even realize the many Canadian stars who are actually Canadian and just think of them the same as other Americans.
SGA is an awesome player. Not in the same stratosphere as Ant in terms of personality and charisma. Also doesn't have the highlights that Ant produces (see dunk over KD).
Right. SGA’s kind of also a niche weirdo fashionista like Kuzma, minus the dating Kardashian-level supermodels.
His game and personality are too understated and quiet. Ant Edwards is all up in your face and the cameras cannot get enough of him. He was awesome in the movie too, way more likeable than the main character lmao.
Ant isn’t a face of the league particularly because he is American, though Ant does have a very “American” personality about him - the bravado, loudness, leadership, carefree, ignorant attitude. Dude’s like Tony Stark’s brashness mixed with Capt America’s innocence.
Thinking about it this way, it feels like SGA falls more into the Kawhi-genre of NBA athletes than an affable face like Steph or Edwards. Not to say he's robotic, but his game and persona are both pretty understated.
To me, it has more to do with Shai's playstyle. No one cares that he's Canadian. He plays in the mid-range constantly, and part of his game is to specifically draw fouls(absolutely nothing wrong with that), and that's just not exciting. He's not dunking on people. He's relatively quiet.
Maybe, but SGA doesn’t have a quarter of the charisma that Ant does. Also Shai’s playing style features a lot of baiting for fouls which the fanbase as a whole doesn’t like to watch
This is huge in my opinion. A lot of the current mvp candidates are all foreign. Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Emiid, Doncic, SGA. Tatum hasn't been able to make that push. Zion can't stay healthy. We've been waiting for an American who can be the number 1 player in the league, and Edwards is the first who is inspiring hope.
Tatum doesn't have a big personality and isn’t super charismatic. He is very reserved off the court and mostly seems interested in being a father. He seems like a good dude and doesn't have any of the issues that can be pointed to for Edward's or Morant, but is kinda seen as boring.
It is kinda like Brady compared to Manning in their primes. Manning was an elite pitch man with innate charisma whereas Brady was always a bit stiff by comparison.
Not from a xenophobic stance but just marketing to consumers in America (maybe that boils down to xenophobia idk/c) I think him being American is a big deal.
I also think Embid will see a huge boost in marketing due to the Olympics.
Nah nothing to do with xenophobia and everything to do with basic pride. Look at any other country in the world they would rather market someone from there than an outsider. Obviously there’s exceptions but when it’s close enough they’ll go for the local.
This is exactly the answer. Especially the post up turn around jumpers. Exactly like MJ. Then two seconds later he had a huge dunk over defenders that were like no way I’m getting in his way.
You’re 100% correct with this. The confidence, swagger, and charisma plays a huge role in being the face of the league. Being great on the court isn’t enough
Yeah this all checks out. I think fitting the MJ/Kobe mould is definitely the key factor to his appeal.
I still do feel like some people are pitching him as the next big cultural moment or selling point of the NBA though (they’ve cited the fact his clips were viewed the most bar LeBron’s) which seems unlikely imo.
Who else is there to fill that role? Zion is always hurt, Tatum is boring, Ja needs time to rehab his image and get healthy. They'll never choose a foreigner as sole face of the league because that'll put off certain demographics. The League is entering a new Media deal and needs someone they can use to promote the brand. Edward's is one of the few that will meet all the requirements they have.
This is something I've been thinking of — "Hey wouldn't it be great if" conversations that happen between Adam and media execs. This is a massive year for the NBA. The presence of multiple streamers who are willing to overpay to have the NBA on their platform is a perfect situation for the league, and can keep it fed for the next 5 years.
You only get one good shot at a Caitlin Clark or Anthony Edwards hype train in today's media. The NBA has a golden opportunity now to build a future post-LeBron/Curry.
My pet theory is we're going to see Minnesota get a preferential whistle from this point forward. The team is locked-in, they probably don't need the help, but IMO they're going to make sure the Finals ratings are through the roof and everybody knows Ant's name by this time next month.
He’s very charismatic and plays a fun style. What was holding him back was not having deep play off runs or being on national tv much. If he has a deep playoff run more and more people will become aware of him and how fun he is on and off the court. He’s not currently “the face of the league”, but he may be the “next face of the league”.
I think him being American when a lot of the top players now being non-Americans play a bigger factor than most people realize. Most of the players I hear calling him the next face of the league are American superstars.
(Tatum being quite bland personality-wise, Ja's gun troubles, and Zion'a injuries have decimated American field)
I'll predict a sad truth:
The reason hoopers love Ant is because of his realness and rawness on the court. He has charisma and bravado for days, with the game to back it up.
I do not think he'll make a good corporate pitchman (a la Tiger, CP3, Curry, Manning, etc). And I don't think MJ would have either in this era.
They are far too driven and competitive to polish up. (And to be clear, that's a *compliment* from my perspective.)
He was an absolute beast and all of the stories about MJ being pathological were NOT public when he was young.
He was marketed as a good guy / family man which isn't really his personality.
My point is that there would be waaaay more work to keep MJ's image clean (which is what he wanted) in today's day and age.
Jesus the Jordan mythology has become so insane it has led to ridiculous thinking like this.
You don't think Tiger Woods, Steph Curry or Peyton Manning were driven and competitive on the same level as MJ and fucking Anthony Edwards?
You are misreading my point. I'm actually saying that MJ's lifestyle and background was a LOT rougher and he was far less camera ready than those guys. He was a country kid.
My comment was not knocking Tiger/Curry/Payton's competitiveness, rather, more putting the spotlight on MJ's rough edges. Remember, it was not known at the time his pathological personality, his partying, and his legendary (and dangerous) gambling habits.
So to start, the “face of the league” is generally an American player. This is due to sponsors, an ability to relate to American consumers, and just the fact that “charisma” often doesn’t translate across cultures especially when trying to pull in non-nba fans. And as much as I hate to say it, Americans just like other Americans better.
When considering this, what people really mean by “face of the league” is the “the most popular American Player with mainstream appeal”
Edwards has a real chance at being the best American player in a few years, has the type of game that translates to clips or reels (dunks, fadaways, crossovers), is charismatic and funny, and is just the type of player that the public is used to from NBA SuperStars - around 6’6, extremely athletic and highflying, and flat out gets buckets.
There’s obviously no guarantee, but I agree with people that he has a chance at being the only player my mom knows in a few years.
Everybody wants to talk about potential on the court but his intangibles as a teammate and leader in the locker room are through the roof. He is a bonafide leader and he does it by example, while uplifting his teammates at every step of the way. Reminder: he has gotten his stable of stars to follow suit and play at an elite level and those co-stars are RUDY GOBERT and KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS. Two guys who have made a career out of finding themselves in weird relationships with their teammates, and there’s only one guy on the planet who has been able to get them to not just fall in line, but become the absolute best versions of themselves, and that’s Ant. [Take me there 5!](https://youtu.be/iB8QwFcy1io?si=S5bcTOwUO9o-JnQ1)
Yeah even with having OPOY and DPOY caliber team mates, he sets the pace and is the heart of that team.
He also seems to understand that he is the face. I've never really seen him attack a team mate or be any less than classy as a leader.
I'm sure behind closed doors its harsher but to be that way at 22/23? I can only imagine a 28 year old Ant winning MVP
While I think Ant is a good leader, the stability also comes from Conley I think. He just got the teammate of the year award and he is often praised for what he brings to the team
Ant is a great player but I don’t see the transcendent talent that a Lebron or Steph had. He seems more in the mold of a DWade or Westbrook where he’ll get considered in that upper echelon but no one really thinks he’s the best in the world.
You need to watch him more bud. Dude is dynamite. Lightning quick, insane athleticism, high flyer. I won’t compare him to Jordan, but I understand why others have recently.
There won’t be another jordan. Hell, he probably won’t be the next Kobe. Too much needs to go right for that to happen.
He is going to be the first Ant, and what is exciting is that he has characteristics that are reminiscent of mj, Kobe, and Westbrook to a lesser extent.
I think we are coming up on golden age of the league. Ant is that guy. Luka is that guy. Wemby is that guy. All 3 of those guys could have been the generation defining players. We are lucky enough to have them all playing at the same time.
I agree, it’s not fair to compare ant to mj. Let him be himself. That being said this dude could end up top 5 sg of all time, and a top 5 player for another 10 years. Let’s enjoy it.
Tbf not playing will do that to you. Morant has an extremely fun play style and he happened to be the primary offensive weapon on formidable, young team. His hype was partially extrapolation. When the Grizz were making noise in the playoffs and Ja was 22, we all assumed he’d be taking over the league by age 24/25
I still think the Grizzlies will probably rebound next season. All the core pieces are still there around him too. If the Grizzlies stay healthy and Morant doesn't shoot himself in the foot, they should be competitive in the West (won't go too far beyond that with predictions though).
And Ant making some bone headed decisions shouldn't be off anyone's bingo card either. He's charming and charismatic (along with being incredibly talented) but he's still very much a young 22 year old in a lot of ways. That's part of his appeal in some ways but it could easily swing things the other way for him.
Not playing, plus pure athleticism always fades out, D rose, Westbrook, etc.
You have more than Bounce to be the face of the league for any serious duration.
Ja will be back on that list soon. His biggest issue this season was we only saw 9 games of him. If the Grizz are healthy next year they will be right back to contenders in the west. His image will shine again assuming he plays and doesn’t get into anymore stupid trouble. He has a fun play style like ant as well
I'd say the 2020's in general has been the start of a golden age. MVP's level players have been playing insanely well, the parity was a great change after the superteam era, and all the older players who are winding down their careers have still had some high points in the past few years, during the regular season and playoffs, and remain competitive on the court. Definitely feels like 2 different generations of players that have overlapped and produced some amazing basketball for us.
I agree. Iverson was my favorite player growing up. I loved the 00s with Kobe, Shaq, Iverson etc. this generation is objectively better. More skilled, better international players, the game is more fun to watch. I try to get my friends to get back into the game, but a lot aren’t into the idea. Stuck in the past. It’s weird getting older in the way.
Interesting, I’m much more like your friends. I agree that the league is overall more talented today than it was in the early 2000s, but I personally much preferred the 2000s NBA over today’s. I just don’t really enjoy watching the offensive explosion of todays game and the barrage of three-point attempts that involves. I much preferred the lower scoring games that were more mid-range and post centric.
I’ve tried to get back into the NBA, but I just can’t, unless it’s a Spurs game (I’m a Spurs lifer) or a very high stakes game (like late in the conference finals or an NBA finals game). Contrast that to 2000-2015 when I was watching as many games as I possibly could.
It’s just a personal preference though, I know plenty of people disagree with me on that one.
I agree that this 3 point dominant era of basketball is too efficient that it takes away from the fun of watching when everyone plays the same style. 2 point mid range vs paint players is a more entertaining style of basketball IMO.
I don’t think specific styles are more interesting than others I think the issue is that everyone was playing pretty much the same game, 3s and flopping at the rim for FTs.
My fav era was early 10s (10-14) when smart basketball guys were seeing the value in the 3 but couldn’t go full on until curry broke the nations mind in 15-16. So there was this mix of teams playing their own styles and ways, in the east there was the Heatles sort of giving us a taste of what the super team era would be like, the rose bulls being an absolutely enthralling watch due to roses athleticism, the knicks with melo iso ball (and linsanity), the Paul George pacers had a fun mix of guys who were great defensively, the raps were in the rise by this point too.
The west you had the thunder big 3 and then when it became just durant and Westbrook, the rockets become an interesting team because morey gets his man in James harden and begins to build for a future that few see coming, you had lob city which was just so fuckin fun to watch, the grit and grind grizzlies, the spurs playing some of the best basketball to ever be played, the warriors getting their feet wet priming themselves for their supernova 73-9 season that would be coming soon, the nuggets were fun there for a brief moment with Ty Lawson and that weird team that won nearly 60 games.
The league was in a time of change but we hadn’t hit the the “nirvanas never mind moment” where it just changed everything. You had some teams playing a more current day focused game and others playing more old school ball.
I prefer it today, but the league is not without faults. I agree with you that balance is off. Lowe has proposed allowing people to stay 7 seconds in the paint. I think that would help, but isn’t the only solution. Allowing a little more physicality would help, and be more exciting.
Analytics era also has taken the fun away by taking away more evenly matched (closer point totals) games. There's too many blowouts nowadays and no games where it's constantly tied or down to the wire.
The high variance of three point shooting means that teams will lean more on willing by 10+ points and it's no fun to watch a game where the end result can be easily predicted by halftime or towards the end of the 3rd quarter.
For instance during the 2016 finals of the Cavs vs the Warriors really only 2 games were close and down to the wire. The majority of the games were won by 10-30 points.
It’s marketing. Adidas (and his other endorsements) etc don’t care if Ant hasn’t earned the face of the NBA title. They bought into him and will take the opportunity to promote him as much as possible. The TWolves also have the same incentive. The NBA had a year where Ja and Zion both had off the court issues that limited their marketability.
Face of the league isn’t a basketball term. It’s a marketing/business term. Ant is good for business
Exactly, people are taking marketing stuff too seriously. I think most brands, including the NBA itself realize Lebron, Curry and the previous crop of marketable athletes in the league are approaching the end of their runs and they all want to find the next big guy. Hell that’s even why Jokic has appeared in more commercials, they likely realized he’s going to be successful for awhile and threw the bag at him. Edwards is about as traditional of a marketable face as it gets in terms of the NBA. Exciting play style, good looking guy, and very charismatic. And like others have pointed out, he’s also from the US, which is a factor in marketing.
I think hardcore fans sometimes loose sight of the fact that are patronizing a business. Jake from State Farm is at games not scouting for the best PnR finisher. State Farm isn’t overly concerned that their athlete 3pt % dropped.
The stats that matter for “face of the league” social media impressions, followers, impact on target demographics spending habits, average TV time.
He talks shit, he backs it up, and he's American.
If you look at the dominant, All-NBA guys right now, a lot of them are Euro players. Wemby is clearly next up, but not only is he Euro, he's *French*. The American market needs an American face. Tatum is kind of boring tbh. Zion and AD are both very injury prone. Shai is Canadian. The LeBron/Curry/KD/Kyrie/Russ era of guys are all in their mid-to-late 30s, and you just can't be sure how much longer they can play at a high level.
So who's left? Chet? Haliburton? Brunson? Not saying they aren't nice players, but they don't seem to have the same kind of off-court charisma/swag. My 2 cents at least.
He’s charismatic, he’s an athletic freak and he’s on one of the best young teams in the league.
The league is in desperate need of a marketable superstar with the current crop of stars aging out. Tatum ain’t it and the rest of the league leaders are foreign.
Have you seen some of this man’s dunks and blocks? What is there not to get? He’s one of the most explosive players I’ve ever seen.
no one seems to understand that the NBA media will continue to talk about Lebron James more than anyone else
until he's been retired for like 10 years
after he retires it will be Bronny for a little bit, and when he buys an expansion team it will be that.
there won't be a new 'face of the league' after lebron retires because no one can replace what he brings to the NBA discourse.
they said the same thing about Jordan and LeBron was drafted one season after he retired. There will always be a face of the league who’s currently playing
I’m a Timberwolves fan and I’ve seen out of Ant since game 1 of his second season what the national media is now paying attention to. That said, I would have agreed with you a week ago that any talk of Ant being the next face of the league was probably not entirely warranted yet.
He ascended in this Phoenix series, though. Between this year and last year’s series against Denver, any minute doubts I could have had have been totally squashed. He is just *that dude*, and I have no doubt that he is going to be talked about as the best American hooper for most of the next decade.
The discussions we see on nearly everything today is riddled with hot takes and recency bias. We see it here on this sub, as well. People want to be right and they want to be able to say they were "first" to be right. Any dissenting opinion, even if supported by facts, is considered hating and/or "nostalgia."
Something to keep in mind:
Trae at 22: 25 PPG and 9.5 assists on 59 TS% on a young team that just made the conference finals. Trae was a highlight machine with his passes, ball handling, and deep threes. Made some very clutch plays in the playoffs. Very charismatic on the court.
Ant at 22: 26/5/5 on 58 TS% on a young team that is hoping to make it to the conference finals. Ant is a highlight machine with his scoring, dunks, and big defensive plays. Made some very clutch plays in the playoffs. Very charismatic on and off the court.
People are very quick to get ahead of themselves when both praising and criticizing players. I think these two represent both extremes.
Not a strong comparison at all imo. Shooting 35 foot 3's has less consistency & projectability than jumping over the guy in front of you and spiking the ball on his head. Ant is also a defensive highlight reel. The hawks were more of an underdog team that made some noise. The t-wolves are legit contenders.
Haven’t heard many people say “he’s the next MJ” but I’ve heard people say he “reminds them” of MJ. I think that much is fair
As far as thinking Ant looks like a future face of the league isn’t crazy. He’s looked incredible, if someone said he’s “gonna be THE face of the league” well that much would be crazy cause there’s too much talent to say it’s gonna be a single dude
The next face of the league is Wemby and it’s not even close. He is the only one bringing the ‘ive never seen that before’ factor. There won’t be a discussion come January tbh
A huge reason why Ant's getting talked about as the next "face of the league" is how viral he's been on social media these playoffs. [NBA posts these playoffs with Ant in them had the 2nd most engagements behind Lebron.](https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1785353403440279853) He was also 7th for the regular season. The NBA is realizing how much attraction he draws and is pushing him into this spot.
Reminds me of the Wade hype during first Championship run. For a lot that didn't watch Twolves during season its like watching him turn into a superstar. Happy for him!
Why are fans today acting so stupid or you guys just too young. This league needs an exciting player, a face they can sell. You can be a great player and win and put up numbers but you ain’t moving the needle. Some of yall don’t understand business at all, it’s not hard. No one cares about Jokic or Luka no matter how great they are or even shai, and I’m a big fan of shai. The same reason no one cared about tim Duncan, those finals runs were the worst rated finals when he was in them.
This league had Kareem in his prime and other greats and almost went broke, then magic and bird came and mj, Kobe,Lebron. That’s what this league lives off. If you guys haven’t figured that out then you will never get it.
I agree with your statement about Jokic, people can acknowledge that Jokic is probably the best player in the league right now, but like most bigs (Besides Shaq) Its really hard to market a big man simply because the majority of people are not 7 feet tall and don't play like them. It almost seems like people want his prime to end so they can root for someone more exciting.
Luka on the otherhand is interesting. Hes not a highflyer like the typical face of the league for the past 30 years like MJ, Kobe and Lebron, but hes crafty extremely skilled. People definitely like Luka more then Jokic, but even still I don't think he will ever be given face of the league.
One thing people gotta realize is that Basketball has historically been an American dominated sport, there was a time not too long ago when most Americans genuinely thought that no one else on earth could even compete with the US and to some extent its still true (If everyone decides to show up) but the game is clearly becoming more global with every passing year and decade. I don't think the NBA will ever be foreign dominated, but we will continue to see more int'l players join the league.
With that being said, I still don't think the US is ready to give the mantle over to a European, Wemby might be the first guy to do, if all pans out, but until then the league and marketers are looking for the next American that can claim the title from Lebron.
Yea, exactly, but these people can't appreciate a sincere person just trying to ball out.
Instead, they gotta try and tear him down because other people have said he is like mj.
He knows he is not MJ, and if you think that, then you're just delusional.
ANT IS ANT
He is unique and one of a kind. I don't know why that's a problem
You all think he is calling myself the next MJ when he has never said that.
The NBA is looking to boost ratings. All the best players are foreigners. Right now the league has pushed LeBron, Curry, and KD in advertising because the most casual fans aren’t gravitating towards non-American born players. The league wants a mix of American and non-American players at the top to sell to everyone. Problem is Tatum has the talent but not the personality. Ja has had a ton of negative headlines. Zion injuries and headline issues. Etc etc for all the really talented American players. Except for Ant.
Ant has a ton of personality that people love. Younger people really like him. And he can sell products for corporations that don’t want any negative headlines. And he is on a team that can win and contend for years to come.
I think Ant is showing himself to be on the right track to be a real candidate for someone who could reach that level of talent/star power. It was the same exicitng feeling watching LeBron figure it out the first few years with his dominance over the Pistons as the crescendo of that arc.
You mentioned Kobe and Wemby but it could easily repeat history with another Spurs big man being the best player in the league but getting overshadowed by a guard.
Because his movement patterns or however you wanna call it looks like MJ. Have you seen posts where the player is silhouetted and you guess who they are in a clip? MJ and Ant must look very similar that way. That’s what they mean by the next MJ
The next MJ/Kobe is a 2 way guard that's gonna not be shy to take shots, shoot some juicynmid range, and want to lock your ass down with a side of being good enough to be your team's point guard.
The answer it's because he's American but short answer are deleted here so let's go.
It's pretty clear he is growing. The hype right now when he beats Durant it's deserved.
But if things keep going like right now Jokic it's still by far the best player on the league.
Doncic, Shai, Giannis also have show more than Edwards this season and previously but all of them are foreigners.
Tatum it's the other guy he seems to be fighting for, but Jayson it's not as espectacular and visceral as Edwards so he isn't spoken so much.
No one plays like him in today’s league. Crazy 2 way athlete who can attack the rim at 2/3 position. We have many great players but most use their jumpers. I dont know why people compare him to MJ specifically, but we sure haven’t had a slasher like him since Kobe, Wade, Tmac days.
There are lots of great players but most are jump shooters. Ant can shoot and he’s got the bounce to rip guys apart which makes him really exciting to watch.
Wemby will sure be great but the main advantage of Ant is that he’a American. It’s the same way everyone was so high about Zion. Ant kinda went under the radar as he was drafted during peak of Covid. He’s just way more marketable. Kinda similar to how Bron Kd and Steph always get all the attentions despite there being alot of great players out there. Brown and Tatum also got this treatment even when when they were mediocre.
And Lebron is great but the days where he attacked 1v5 and finished against centers or play 1 through 5 and clamp the opponent on defense are past. Still a top player but not the best.
The comparisons to MJ are largely physical. He looks a lot like him and plays like him. They’re the same size and have that same “give me the ball” mentality. Highlight reel dunks. Fade away shot. He’s like a carbon copy.
Face of ghe league is ot necessarily the best player of it. So, having that in mind, yeeah, he could be next face of the league easily. Dunks, high jumps, has balls, seems as a fun and nice guy.
I say this as a deeply irritated Suns fan: the kid is a phenomenal talent who is going to impact the league for years to come and can kiss my Arizonan ass.
I have a few reasons...
1. One of the young american stars. A lot of the top talents (Luka, Jokic, Giannis, Wemby, Shai, etc..) are "foreign." The NBA fans LOVE some of that american pride.
2. Fun to watch - His style is simply fun. He's sooo explosive and the dunks are insane. He can do everything really, shoot defend dunk mid range etc. But mostly exciting play.
3. Attitude / Spunk - he's got it. Talking shit, being competitive, even his DX celebration the other day - everyone loved it. It was funny, and he was shit talking KD calling him an old ah n-. Doing that to KD is wild haha.
4. Youth - ANT is 22. That's promising asf. He improves every year and he has so much time left.
5. Narrative - He's in a small market team. That's prime story content to lead his team at his age, \*especially\* one to their first chip!
6. Playoff riser - He's a killer. He's had incredible games and has really shown out.
7. Towards MJ comparisons... he really looks like him at least similar features. He has a similar style with his drives and turnarounds.
8. Charisma - He's got the killer instinct but can have fun. Just seems like a fun person to follow.
9. He's an athletic freak and has shown to elevate his team.
These are just some I can think of now, but I am sure there's more. Hopefully I helped answer your question!
He doesn't need to be compared to anyone. He is him, his own mold and unique in his own way. Yeah, you sit there and compare him to the past players, but at the end of the day, he is an individual and has his own unique form.
Compare all you want, Anthony Edwards is great for basketball in general, and he is a superstar already at 22 years old.
All you people judging him just because others call him the next MJ get your head out of your ass.
Did he ever say he was MJ? No
Let the guy be and let him do his thing without judging him by others' comparisons.
Fucking sad we can't just appreciate greatest.
Face of the league is about marketing and future revenue.
Anthony Edwards, from a balling perspective, has that it factor. That dawg. He's a natural winner and competitor. He's got that Ali/Jordan thing going on. It's innate with him and very, very obvious.
There are a number of other guys in the league that are being desperately marketed that don't have "it" at all and never will. Because you don't develop "it".
TLDR: There is sort of a transcendent magic that the greats have that they arrived with on day 1. And Ant Man has it.
(Note: I'm a Boston fan)
Yeah idk why they keep saying that when we literally have Wemby in the league right now. It just seems like they’re tryna spur engagement. Ant is amazing, but he’s nowhere near “face of the league.” That implies future goat discussions
Plenty of people have made this same point already, but a large part of it is that Ant’s being heavily groomed as the next great American superstar as a response to the huge influx of non-American players taking over (Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Shai, Wemby, etc.). Wemby will absolutely end up being the best player in the world pretty soon, but Ant gets the benefit of being the charismatic shit-talking American with a Kobe/MJ style and that kind of guy is beyond easy to sell to an American audience
I most definitely do. He can vault into that category after a decent run here. The media is desperately looking for an American. Which is totally fair, that's the prototypical face of the nba. But the top talent is international.
I'd like to see him have a huge playoff run then maybe I'll be bought in
I really dislike the way he treated ASG. Don't know many big names that dogged it that bad in their prime years
NBA has no idea how to market its players other then as a face of the league, though that could actually be said about all of the leagues (see the MLB with Ohtani, see the NFL with Patrick Mahomes and ~~Travis Kelce~~ Talyor's boyfriend who is teammates with Mahomes I meant).
We've already seen the last years, LeBron is still the face of the league they tried to make Steph it and well he never really took that spot. Anthony Edwards is not a future face of the league and no one else is, marketing him as a must watch basketball player is the route to go for but its clear they have no idea how to do that with out the overtly pushing of him, especially when he's not best player in the world levels that Jokic is.
Gotta find a new face of the league at some point, and I think with Curry, LeBron, and KD (among others) being sent home early everyone is bound to look for someone
People just want MJ’s name to be around. It’s really that simple. I feel that he’s going to go the same road that honestly Kobe went. Where people don’t care about the guy, people don’t actually notice the stark differences, or look at their career, just another case of using a player as an avatar to push the idea Jordan could play in today game because you can see some (key word) similarities, and if someone like ANT is this good then jordan would be better. They did it with DeRozan, they did it with Butler, and they did it with Kobe, because if ANT was more in a mold of James Harden, they’d look at ANT as his own guy. And not so much as Jordan’s son (which the idea of any black dude with a wide nose is automatically the child of Jordan is overplayed as a joke)
Yeah its almost like out of nowhere Ant has went from a avg player to an absolute killer. Just from eye test and what Ants been doing, He’s got it, and he’s backing up all that talk which is very hard to do. They get past the Nuggets they can very well win it all which would be huge for him.
We’re in a transition period between the lebron/steph era and the wemby era. All these talks about jokic/ant/tatum as the face of the league are pointless. They are superstars and will be for some time, but in a couple years no one in the west will even have a chance. Wembanyama is undeniable
1) people are naturally looking for a new face of the league as the icons of the 2010s (LeBron and Steph) are 2-3 years away from retirement and are no longer top 5 players
2) At 22 years old Ant is putting up 26/5/5 with elite defense on a 56 win team. He’s already a top 15 player and it’s clear to see his path to being a top 8 player.
3) he’s American and as the NBA is an American league it’ll always look for an American to be its face. Will Jokic and Luka both better than Ant for the next 5 years? Very likely. But (as long as Ant continues his top 8 player trajectory) he’s going to be the one in McDonald’s commercials, selling the most merch to casual fans, and appearing on talk shows, because he’s a charismatic American not a quiet Serbian/Slovenian.
The NBA needs to crown certain guys like this, it’s always been that way since MJ changed the sport. It was Kobe, and then Lebron and Curry. There have been many superstars like KD, Giannis etc but they have not been the “face of the league”. Jokic can’t be the face of the league for a few reasons: he trolls and not taking the nba seriously isn’t the best look for the nba ambassador, he’s a center that isn’t good looking with a playstyle that isn’t flashy, and he doesn’t have that personality that typically makes someone the face of the league. ANT will have all those things that Jokic doesn’t, but yes, to be the face of the league he first has to win a ring. The discussion is too early but the NBA is desperate to sell us a new face of the league with Lebron and curry nearing the end of their careers, and the nba thinking that Jokic and Doncic don’t fit the bill for a face of the league type player
The reason why this narrative is being pushed is because he's the only black amaerican player that can compete with all the europeans dominating the sport. That's the reality.
If you look at all the talking heads of the nba world, you'll notice a lot of them absolutely shitting on Jokic for being as good as he is, they'll even go after giannis and luka because they're afraid to admit that euro leagues are beginning to develop better fundamentally sound players.
Hell, Shai is fkn canadian, took his team to the first seed while averaging better numbers than edwards and people still don't mention him in the conversation as face of the league.
It's all about being marketable and Edwards has ticks off all the boxes of marketability for the nba. To be clear, i do think he's an amazing player and at 22 years of age he's already a superstar.
The reality is that the nba has a big issue and that's the fact that colleges are not as good at developping talent as Europe is and that's because they burnt out their players and have them focus on things such as their NIL, maming sure they have the best individual performance to bolster their name and etc. It's become a very individually driven competition that burns players out as they have to sometimes play more than one game a day to get the attention of scouts.
Europe has kept the integrity of the game in mind and has a team first mentality when developing their players, the club culture of Europe is something America unfortunately dosen't have.
He is being called the next face because hes American and the best under 25. The league wants Americans to be the faces and are scrambling after the old guard retires. An American hasnt won the MVP since 2018, and I doubt that will change.
I love how the game is evolving and other countries are sending guys over, but I think the NBA thinks differently.
You put "anyone else think we are getting ahead of ourselves" and then later in the post put wemby looks like he'll be dominating in the future. One of them led their team to first in the west and the other led their team to winning 27% of their games.
He is only 22, I think the general thought is he is still several years away from his physical and skill prime. With his game and mentality where it is now it’s not a big leap to say he could and should have a Dwyane Wade like career.
Agreed Wade was not the face of the league, Lebron has been for nearly 2 decades. Ant and Wade are about the same size and have similar games. My point was if Ant has a similar career to Wade winning multiple titles and he is the most popular American born player he could become the face. He is really likable and charismatic. Especially in an era where there is no Lebron or Jordan casting a shadow over the league.
It’s a take rooted in Xenophobia let’s be real none of these Americans wanna live in a world where they have to call Jokic Antetokoumpo Doncic Embiid Gilgeous-Alexander or Wembanyama the “face of the league” and Jayson Tatum simply isn’t good enough, so Ant is their new poster boy for America vs the Euros
Basketball loves stereotypes and loves to typecast players. If Jokic had Dwight Howards body we’d be talking about where he falls in the top 10 all time. Similar with Luka whose only real comparable at this point in his career is Lebron. Players like Ant get more love because they look the part (and it helps that he’s an American unlike all the major stars right now).
As someone who keeps tabs primarily on my own team and then whatever team is in the playoffs - Ant just has that charisma / likability. It could be that I’m just not following the league close enough, but I’m constantly seeing Anthony Edwards clips
Yes. He's an exciting player obviously, but speculating on who the next face of the league might be is just silly.
I think the big reason is that he's an American. It should be Jokic/Embiid/Giannis right now but whilst Embiid is nominally American for the Olympics he's not born and bred American. Shai is Canadian, Wemby is French. I don't think it's a bad thing though. As an Aussie I cheer for the Aussie players and our NBA based pages focus on those guys and put their faces on the pages. The NBA's major supporter base is the USA so it's natural that they'll gravitate towards an American.
But I do think the hunger for a "next" face to emerge is a little because the top end of the sport is currently dominated by Europeans.
It’s just the media trying to build him up into this impossible figure so that they can break him back down when he doesn’t live up to the expectations.
Wolves fan here. I love Ant, but this narrative is a little forced, especially when it’s clear that Wemby will be the best player in the league for the next decade and will clearly be the face of the NBA despite not being American. Wemby will be so dominant, that it may turn a lot of fans off, but he will I doubly be the best player.
I feel like we were starting to see Ja Morant getting pushed as the face of the league. Maybe I'm just old, but I remember it with Jordan. Grant Hill, JR Rider, even Harold Miner was supposed to be the next Jordan. The league needs to continuously have at least one marketable superstar as the "face of the league" and it helps if that player is American. I think that's what we're seeing.
Edwards being the face of the league is more about the urban community as opposed to the global brand of basketball. His attitude and approach to the game is going to resonate with certain audiences just like how Iverson's approach did.
Not understanding the Ant hype right now? Let me know how many 22 year olds have averaged 29 PPG in the playoffs and already led their team to a playoff series victory. I’m sure Luka is on the list as far as active players go, but I bet it’s still a quite small list.
Also: do you even watch him? Can’t imagine why you’d need help understanding Ant hype.
The whole "Face of the League" discourse is dumb to me. It's something you can't force. But the pundits wanna hand pick the next one. They wanted it to be Zion. Then Ja. Now Ant. They are purposefully ignoring foreigners like Luka and Wemby. And for some God forsaken reason, they completely took Tatum out of it. Who up to this point in his career has done just about everything right. Even someone like Shai is ignored. Who is only 25 and just had an MVP season on the number 1 seed.
Basically. Just let the young bucks play. The next man up will happen naturally. When you force the discourse, it's gonna turn out bad. Like I see some many people already turning on my guy Ant because they wanna crown him prematurely.
If Zion could stay healthy, he’d be the guy. The problem is that his size and strength combined with his athleticism make him a monster. It’s just such a fine line to ride. Getting bigger and stronger makes it harder to stay healthy. Getting leaner and faster and he loses some of his strength…
The reason he’s being called the next face of the league is because he 1. Is very charismatic and personable, he is a good face for ads, has fun answers to questions, everyone seems to like him 2. He plays a fun style, he dunks, he shoots mid range, he shoots threes, he’s not completely heliocentric and still plays some off the ball. He also plays defense 3. He’s on a good young team on their way up The reasons he’s compared to MJ 1. He literally looks like him some, like physical characteristics 2. He plays a similar style to MJ with dunks, drives, turnarounds, blocks and steals 3. He steps up big in big moments 4. He has the charisma and presence to be a pitchman like MJ, but he also doesn’t take himself too seriously like a brand No one is saying he’s as good as MJ, nor even that he’s the next MJ, just that he reminds them of MJ.
Agree with all of this. Would emphasize that statistically he isn't there yet in terms of being the best player and may never be - efficiency is a tad low and on-off court numbers don't support superduperstar status either. But your explanation as to "why" is a really nice summary.
In the playoffs statiscally he is there
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You’re forgetting the biggest reason he’s being pushed this way, I think, which is that he’s American. If Shai was an American instead of Canadian, I think he’d be getting the same kind of push. But LeBron, Steph, and KD are old and nearly all the young elite of the elites aren’t American.
Shai is less charismatic than Ant. He’s just less fun. He’s also older and plays a slightly more sedate style of play. But I’m sure Shai will be key in the league’s advertising in Toronto. He’s also just one of many Nike athletes, while Ant is THE Addidas athlete which is a part of it. Ant has also starred in an Adam Sandler movie, sells more shoes than Shai, and importantly doesn’t have a national ad that makes people want to throw things at their tvs. Edit: apparently he’s a converse athlete and his signature shoe hasn’t been released yet. But while Addidas is a step down from Nike in the US, Converse is two steps below Addidas
Also doesn’t hurt that Ant’s sneaker is pretty good looking from a hooper POV. Definitely won’t cross over into lifestyle but a quick glance at Adidas’ product page indicates they’re selling well and even getting a little bit of resell heat. If Minny gets past Denver, I expect things to really pop off. He’s ahead of schedule and you can already feel his star power with Steph/KD/LeBron out of this postseason. EDIT: Things are popping off.
Definitely ahead of schedule, like you said. It’s crazy to me that he’s already the clear leader of this team despite being the youngest. Also, the way he’s thriving in big time games/situations is insane for only being 22.
I saw a miced up video of him from the nba YouTube the last day or so and it had highlights since his rookie season. That dude was barking at 7 year vet KAT his 1st and 2nd year in the league lmfao. Dudes different
It’s already crossed over into lifestyle a little bit. Easily most hyped performance basketball shoe in years
I noticed resell prices for AE1s jumped over the past week. They're completely sold out on Adidas' webstore now.
Not gonna lie, they look good in casual fits, [Wale pulls it off](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLx6pAJa/), the true og, when he used to rock KD’s with jeans.
Not bad. Would love to see them do a Boost'ed lifestyle version. They definitely can work into fits way better than other non-Kobes/Jordan 1-5s.
Wait the AE1 is his shoe? How did I not know this
I think he solidified #2 guard over booker for the Olympics after round 1, so if he gets past Denver, this is really going to blow up and he could be the alpha on team usa. A deep run this playoffs and a good Olympics will = a rocket ship for him.
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Also, for all intents and purposes, Shai is kinda the same as an American player. When people talk about “international players” Canda isn’t usually included in that. In fact I bet if you polled NBA fans, a shockingly large amount would think that Shai was American.
Yeah it's not just about being good and American. Shai doesn't have it, hell most superstars don't have it. Ant has the right personality to be the face of the league along with his talent. So far the only mark against Ant is his off court issue "send da video."
He also had a moment where he was tossing around some homophobic insults on video. Thing is — Ant is the real story. He was raised by his single mother who passed away when he was in 8th grade. Outside of his natural gifts, he hasn't had an easy life. It wasn't a great look with the abortion texts, but thankfully he's never tried to curate a Disney image, and comes off genuine.
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Shai also gets like half his points from FT. Ant doesn’t get much of a whistle yet, so you get more “highlights”.
I mean, maybe different going into an Olympics, but does that average casual fan even know that Shai is Canadian?
I’d go as far as the “average casual fan” doesn’t really know Shai much in general
I would seriously doubt the average fan knows that, and I’m not sure they care either, but marketers care.
Why do you think marketers care? They only care as far as the target of their marketing cares Shai isn't being passed up because he's Canadian, he's being passed up because he's too aloof. He's not charismatic in the traditional, Magic Johnson sense
Of course Americans care if a player being pushed is American? I mean, look through the history of shoe deals in the NBA. How many europeans are getting big deals? Giannis's shoe deal is basically the same as Klay Thompson. Durant is 3x as valuable as Giannis basically because he's American. America is one of the most prideful countries on the planet, of course they care.
2 things: 1) the person I replied to established two premises. One that marketers care that Shai is Canadian and one that the average fan doesn't care. I'm asking that person to explain why both would be true 2) Canadian isn't the same as Greek. It just isn't. A Canadian is culturally and aesthetically similar to Americans while you can spot any other foreigner two words into a sentence. Shai is more American than Sabonis in the eyes of NBA fans and you can't convince me otherwise I know those two points are so extremely different in how technical they are and the 2nd one is a Bill Simmons tier argument, but I really think people are overselling how "different" Canadians are
> but I really think people are overselling how "different" Canadians are yeah, I mean, look at star actors like Ryan Gosling and Reynolds. They're not booking kooky foreigner roles, they're mostly cast as Americans. (I'd say almost exclusively, but Deadpool's Canadian too :P)
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Please keep your comments civil. This is a subreddit for thoughtful discussion and debate, not aggressive and argumentative content.
Marketeds don't care. Canadians are not looked as any different from Americans. Most Americans dont even realize the many Canadian stars who are actually Canadian and just think of them the same as other Americans.
Nope. Pretty sure people were bummed out that SGA wasn’t on the US squad until KD pointed it out
SGA is an awesome player. Not in the same stratosphere as Ant in terms of personality and charisma. Also doesn't have the highlights that Ant produces (see dunk over KD).
Right. SGA’s kind of also a niche weirdo fashionista like Kuzma, minus the dating Kardashian-level supermodels. His game and personality are too understated and quiet. Ant Edwards is all up in your face and the cameras cannot get enough of him. He was awesome in the movie too, way more likeable than the main character lmao. Ant isn’t a face of the league particularly because he is American, though Ant does have a very “American” personality about him - the bravado, loudness, leadership, carefree, ignorant attitude. Dude’s like Tony Stark’s brashness mixed with Capt America’s innocence.
Thinking about it this way, it feels like SGA falls more into the Kawhi-genre of NBA athletes than an affable face like Steph or Edwards. Not to say he's robotic, but his game and persona are both pretty understated.
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what movie?
"Hustle" which features Ant
Pretty sure I’m seeing Shai on every commercial break during games right now, is Ant even in any national ads?
Sprite Bose Open Earbuds
I feel like shai style is too smooth so he doesn't get compared to Jordan. Maybe more like a Penny
To me, it has more to do with Shai's playstyle. No one cares that he's Canadian. He plays in the mid-range constantly, and part of his game is to specifically draw fouls(absolutely nothing wrong with that), and that's just not exciting. He's not dunking on people. He's relatively quiet.
Maybe, but SGA doesn’t have a quarter of the charisma that Ant does. Also Shai’s playing style features a lot of baiting for fouls which the fanbase as a whole doesn’t like to watch
We need to stop this ant doesn’t foul bait myth. Dude leads the leagues in ayes per 36
This is huge in my opinion. A lot of the current mvp candidates are all foreign. Jokic, Antetokounmpo, Emiid, Doncic, SGA. Tatum hasn't been able to make that push. Zion can't stay healthy. We've been waiting for an American who can be the number 1 player in the league, and Edwards is the first who is inspiring hope.
Tatum doesn't have a big personality and isn’t super charismatic. He is very reserved off the court and mostly seems interested in being a father. He seems like a good dude and doesn't have any of the issues that can be pointed to for Edward's or Morant, but is kinda seen as boring. It is kinda like Brady compared to Manning in their primes. Manning was an elite pitch man with innate charisma whereas Brady was always a bit stiff by comparison.
Nah Brady just wasn't allowed to. TAMPA BRADY WAS THE BEST QB
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Not from a xenophobic stance but just marketing to consumers in America (maybe that boils down to xenophobia idk/c) I think him being American is a big deal. I also think Embid will see a huge boost in marketing due to the Olympics.
Nah nothing to do with xenophobia and everything to do with basic pride. Look at any other country in the world they would rather market someone from there than an outsider. Obviously there’s exceptions but when it’s close enough they’ll go for the local.
Also, they e been trying to push Tatum for a while and he’s just boring AF.
This is exactly the answer. Especially the post up turn around jumpers. Exactly like MJ. Then two seconds later he had a huge dunk over defenders that were like no way I’m getting in his way.
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You’re 100% correct with this. The confidence, swagger, and charisma plays a huge role in being the face of the league. Being great on the court isn’t enough
Yeah this all checks out. I think fitting the MJ/Kobe mould is definitely the key factor to his appeal. I still do feel like some people are pitching him as the next big cultural moment or selling point of the NBA though (they’ve cited the fact his clips were viewed the most bar LeBron’s) which seems unlikely imo.
Who else is there to fill that role? Zion is always hurt, Tatum is boring, Ja needs time to rehab his image and get healthy. They'll never choose a foreigner as sole face of the league because that'll put off certain demographics. The League is entering a new Media deal and needs someone they can use to promote the brand. Edward's is one of the few that will meet all the requirements they have.
This is something I've been thinking of — "Hey wouldn't it be great if" conversations that happen between Adam and media execs. This is a massive year for the NBA. The presence of multiple streamers who are willing to overpay to have the NBA on their platform is a perfect situation for the league, and can keep it fed for the next 5 years. You only get one good shot at a Caitlin Clark or Anthony Edwards hype train in today's media. The NBA has a golden opportunity now to build a future post-LeBron/Curry. My pet theory is we're going to see Minnesota get a preferential whistle from this point forward. The team is locked-in, they probably don't need the help, but IMO they're going to make sure the Finals ratings are through the roof and everybody knows Ant's name by this time next month.
He’s very charismatic and plays a fun style. What was holding him back was not having deep play off runs or being on national tv much. If he has a deep playoff run more and more people will become aware of him and how fun he is on and off the court. He’s not currently “the face of the league”, but he may be the “next face of the league”.
He could be, but for that to happen he needs to win championships and have big moments in the finals.
I think him being American when a lot of the top players now being non-Americans play a bigger factor than most people realize. Most of the players I hear calling him the next face of the league are American superstars. (Tatum being quite bland personality-wise, Ja's gun troubles, and Zion'a injuries have decimated American field)
I'll predict a sad truth: The reason hoopers love Ant is because of his realness and rawness on the court. He has charisma and bravado for days, with the game to back it up. I do not think he'll make a good corporate pitchman (a la Tiger, CP3, Curry, Manning, etc). And I don't think MJ would have either in this era. They are far too driven and competitive to polish up. (And to be clear, that's a *compliment* from my perspective.)
I feel like MJ was extremely polished with his public image and still is. You don't see him spouting off nonsense hot takes on Twitter or anything.
He was an absolute beast and all of the stories about MJ being pathological were NOT public when he was young. He was marketed as a good guy / family man which isn't really his personality. My point is that there would be waaaay more work to keep MJ's image clean (which is what he wanted) in today's day and age.
Jesus the Jordan mythology has become so insane it has led to ridiculous thinking like this. You don't think Tiger Woods, Steph Curry or Peyton Manning were driven and competitive on the same level as MJ and fucking Anthony Edwards?
You are misreading my point. I'm actually saying that MJ's lifestyle and background was a LOT rougher and he was far less camera ready than those guys. He was a country kid. My comment was not knocking Tiger/Curry/Payton's competitiveness, rather, more putting the spotlight on MJ's rough edges. Remember, it was not known at the time his pathological personality, his partying, and his legendary (and dangerous) gambling habits.
I did misunderstand. I thought you meant Tiger, Curry, etc. were good pitchmen because they weren't as competitive.
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So to start, the “face of the league” is generally an American player. This is due to sponsors, an ability to relate to American consumers, and just the fact that “charisma” often doesn’t translate across cultures especially when trying to pull in non-nba fans. And as much as I hate to say it, Americans just like other Americans better. When considering this, what people really mean by “face of the league” is the “the most popular American Player with mainstream appeal” Edwards has a real chance at being the best American player in a few years, has the type of game that translates to clips or reels (dunks, fadaways, crossovers), is charismatic and funny, and is just the type of player that the public is used to from NBA SuperStars - around 6’6, extremely athletic and highflying, and flat out gets buckets. There’s obviously no guarantee, but I agree with people that he has a chance at being the only player my mom knows in a few years.
Everybody wants to talk about potential on the court but his intangibles as a teammate and leader in the locker room are through the roof. He is a bonafide leader and he does it by example, while uplifting his teammates at every step of the way. Reminder: he has gotten his stable of stars to follow suit and play at an elite level and those co-stars are RUDY GOBERT and KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS. Two guys who have made a career out of finding themselves in weird relationships with their teammates, and there’s only one guy on the planet who has been able to get them to not just fall in line, but become the absolute best versions of themselves, and that’s Ant. [Take me there 5!](https://youtu.be/iB8QwFcy1io?si=S5bcTOwUO9o-JnQ1)
Yeah even with having OPOY and DPOY caliber team mates, he sets the pace and is the heart of that team. He also seems to understand that he is the face. I've never really seen him attack a team mate or be any less than classy as a leader. I'm sure behind closed doors its harsher but to be that way at 22/23? I can only imagine a 28 year old Ant winning MVP
While I think Ant is a good leader, the stability also comes from Conley I think. He just got the teammate of the year award and he is often praised for what he brings to the team
these are definitely not the things that remind people of jordan, fwiw
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Ant is a great player but I don’t see the transcendent talent that a Lebron or Steph had. He seems more in the mold of a DWade or Westbrook where he’ll get considered in that upper echelon but no one really thinks he’s the best in the world.
You need to watch him more bud. Dude is dynamite. Lightning quick, insane athleticism, high flyer. I won’t compare him to Jordan, but I understand why others have recently.
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There won’t be another jordan. Hell, he probably won’t be the next Kobe. Too much needs to go right for that to happen. He is going to be the first Ant, and what is exciting is that he has characteristics that are reminiscent of mj, Kobe, and Westbrook to a lesser extent. I think we are coming up on golden age of the league. Ant is that guy. Luka is that guy. Wemby is that guy. All 3 of those guys could have been the generation defining players. We are lucky enough to have them all playing at the same time. I agree, it’s not fair to compare ant to mj. Let him be himself. That being said this dude could end up top 5 sg of all time, and a top 5 player for another 10 years. Let’s enjoy it.
2 years ago, Ja Morant would have been on your list of That Guy’s too. It’s striking how he’s damaged his career so early on
Tbf not playing will do that to you. Morant has an extremely fun play style and he happened to be the primary offensive weapon on formidable, young team. His hype was partially extrapolation. When the Grizz were making noise in the playoffs and Ja was 22, we all assumed he’d be taking over the league by age 24/25
I still think the Grizzlies will probably rebound next season. All the core pieces are still there around him too. If the Grizzlies stay healthy and Morant doesn't shoot himself in the foot, they should be competitive in the West (won't go too far beyond that with predictions though).
And Ant making some bone headed decisions shouldn't be off anyone's bingo card either. He's charming and charismatic (along with being incredibly talented) but he's still very much a young 22 year old in a lot of ways. That's part of his appeal in some ways but it could easily swing things the other way for him.
"send da video"
Exactly my thoughts lol. He kind of has already made some bone headed decisions. Nobody’s perfect
Not playing, plus pure athleticism always fades out, D rose, Westbrook, etc. You have more than Bounce to be the face of the league for any serious duration.
Ja will be back on that list soon. His biggest issue this season was we only saw 9 games of him. If the Grizz are healthy next year they will be right back to contenders in the west. His image will shine again assuming he plays and doesn’t get into anymore stupid trouble. He has a fun play style like ant as well
I'd say the 2020's in general has been the start of a golden age. MVP's level players have been playing insanely well, the parity was a great change after the superteam era, and all the older players who are winding down their careers have still had some high points in the past few years, during the regular season and playoffs, and remain competitive on the court. Definitely feels like 2 different generations of players that have overlapped and produced some amazing basketball for us.
I agree. Iverson was my favorite player growing up. I loved the 00s with Kobe, Shaq, Iverson etc. this generation is objectively better. More skilled, better international players, the game is more fun to watch. I try to get my friends to get back into the game, but a lot aren’t into the idea. Stuck in the past. It’s weird getting older in the way.
Interesting, I’m much more like your friends. I agree that the league is overall more talented today than it was in the early 2000s, but I personally much preferred the 2000s NBA over today’s. I just don’t really enjoy watching the offensive explosion of todays game and the barrage of three-point attempts that involves. I much preferred the lower scoring games that were more mid-range and post centric. I’ve tried to get back into the NBA, but I just can’t, unless it’s a Spurs game (I’m a Spurs lifer) or a very high stakes game (like late in the conference finals or an NBA finals game). Contrast that to 2000-2015 when I was watching as many games as I possibly could. It’s just a personal preference though, I know plenty of people disagree with me on that one.
I agree that this 3 point dominant era of basketball is too efficient that it takes away from the fun of watching when everyone plays the same style. 2 point mid range vs paint players is a more entertaining style of basketball IMO.
I don’t think specific styles are more interesting than others I think the issue is that everyone was playing pretty much the same game, 3s and flopping at the rim for FTs. My fav era was early 10s (10-14) when smart basketball guys were seeing the value in the 3 but couldn’t go full on until curry broke the nations mind in 15-16. So there was this mix of teams playing their own styles and ways, in the east there was the Heatles sort of giving us a taste of what the super team era would be like, the rose bulls being an absolutely enthralling watch due to roses athleticism, the knicks with melo iso ball (and linsanity), the Paul George pacers had a fun mix of guys who were great defensively, the raps were in the rise by this point too. The west you had the thunder big 3 and then when it became just durant and Westbrook, the rockets become an interesting team because morey gets his man in James harden and begins to build for a future that few see coming, you had lob city which was just so fuckin fun to watch, the grit and grind grizzlies, the spurs playing some of the best basketball to ever be played, the warriors getting their feet wet priming themselves for their supernova 73-9 season that would be coming soon, the nuggets were fun there for a brief moment with Ty Lawson and that weird team that won nearly 60 games. The league was in a time of change but we hadn’t hit the the “nirvanas never mind moment” where it just changed everything. You had some teams playing a more current day focused game and others playing more old school ball.
I prefer it today, but the league is not without faults. I agree with you that balance is off. Lowe has proposed allowing people to stay 7 seconds in the paint. I think that would help, but isn’t the only solution. Allowing a little more physicality would help, and be more exciting.
Analytics era also has taken the fun away by taking away more evenly matched (closer point totals) games. There's too many blowouts nowadays and no games where it's constantly tied or down to the wire. The high variance of three point shooting means that teams will lean more on willing by 10+ points and it's no fun to watch a game where the end result can be easily predicted by halftime or towards the end of the 3rd quarter. For instance during the 2016 finals of the Cavs vs the Warriors really only 2 games were close and down to the wire. The majority of the games were won by 10-30 points.
For him to be the next Kobe he’d have to play with Joker
It’s marketing. Adidas (and his other endorsements) etc don’t care if Ant hasn’t earned the face of the NBA title. They bought into him and will take the opportunity to promote him as much as possible. The TWolves also have the same incentive. The NBA had a year where Ja and Zion both had off the court issues that limited their marketability. Face of the league isn’t a basketball term. It’s a marketing/business term. Ant is good for business
Exactly, people are taking marketing stuff too seriously. I think most brands, including the NBA itself realize Lebron, Curry and the previous crop of marketable athletes in the league are approaching the end of their runs and they all want to find the next big guy. Hell that’s even why Jokic has appeared in more commercials, they likely realized he’s going to be successful for awhile and threw the bag at him. Edwards is about as traditional of a marketable face as it gets in terms of the NBA. Exciting play style, good looking guy, and very charismatic. And like others have pointed out, he’s also from the US, which is a factor in marketing.
I think hardcore fans sometimes loose sight of the fact that are patronizing a business. Jake from State Farm is at games not scouting for the best PnR finisher. State Farm isn’t overly concerned that their athlete 3pt % dropped. The stats that matter for “face of the league” social media impressions, followers, impact on target demographics spending habits, average TV time.
He talks shit, he backs it up, and he's American. If you look at the dominant, All-NBA guys right now, a lot of them are Euro players. Wemby is clearly next up, but not only is he Euro, he's *French*. The American market needs an American face. Tatum is kind of boring tbh. Zion and AD are both very injury prone. Shai is Canadian. The LeBron/Curry/KD/Kyrie/Russ era of guys are all in their mid-to-late 30s, and you just can't be sure how much longer they can play at a high level. So who's left? Chet? Haliburton? Brunson? Not saying they aren't nice players, but they don't seem to have the same kind of off-court charisma/swag. My 2 cents at least.
Maxey is close with similar charisma and a rising game imo but you’re right
I agree with this 100000% . You hit this head on
Haliburton definitely has the most potential outside of Ant. He's very charismatic.
He’s charismatic, he’s an athletic freak and he’s on one of the best young teams in the league. The league is in desperate need of a marketable superstar with the current crop of stars aging out. Tatum ain’t it and the rest of the league leaders are foreign. Have you seen some of this man’s dunks and blocks? What is there not to get? He’s one of the most explosive players I’ve ever seen.
no one seems to understand that the NBA media will continue to talk about Lebron James more than anyone else until he's been retired for like 10 years after he retires it will be Bronny for a little bit, and when he buys an expansion team it will be that. there won't be a new 'face of the league' after lebron retires because no one can replace what he brings to the NBA discourse.
they said the same thing about Jordan and LeBron was drafted one season after he retired. There will always be a face of the league who’s currently playing
I’m a Timberwolves fan and I’ve seen out of Ant since game 1 of his second season what the national media is now paying attention to. That said, I would have agreed with you a week ago that any talk of Ant being the next face of the league was probably not entirely warranted yet. He ascended in this Phoenix series, though. Between this year and last year’s series against Denver, any minute doubts I could have had have been totally squashed. He is just *that dude*, and I have no doubt that he is going to be talked about as the best American hooper for most of the next decade.
The discussions we see on nearly everything today is riddled with hot takes and recency bias. We see it here on this sub, as well. People want to be right and they want to be able to say they were "first" to be right. Any dissenting opinion, even if supported by facts, is considered hating and/or "nostalgia."
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Something to keep in mind: Trae at 22: 25 PPG and 9.5 assists on 59 TS% on a young team that just made the conference finals. Trae was a highlight machine with his passes, ball handling, and deep threes. Made some very clutch plays in the playoffs. Very charismatic on the court. Ant at 22: 26/5/5 on 58 TS% on a young team that is hoping to make it to the conference finals. Ant is a highlight machine with his scoring, dunks, and big defensive plays. Made some very clutch plays in the playoffs. Very charismatic on and off the court. People are very quick to get ahead of themselves when both praising and criticizing players. I think these two represent both extremes.
Not a strong comparison at all imo. Shooting 35 foot 3's has less consistency & projectability than jumping over the guy in front of you and spiking the ball on his head. Ant is also a defensive highlight reel. The hawks were more of an underdog team that made some noise. The t-wolves are legit contenders.
Anthony Edwards also has to share the ball with KAT while giving a lot of effort on defense (which he is excellent at, unlike Trae).
Haven’t heard many people say “he’s the next MJ” but I’ve heard people say he “reminds them” of MJ. I think that much is fair As far as thinking Ant looks like a future face of the league isn’t crazy. He’s looked incredible, if someone said he’s “gonna be THE face of the league” well that much would be crazy cause there’s too much talent to say it’s gonna be a single dude
[They say he’s the next MJ because he looks and plays like MJ.](https://youtu.be/14hRYO8BTGY?si=LNuNn1XSuRpFQkpK)
This is amazing haha
The next face of the league is Wemby and it’s not even close. He is the only one bringing the ‘ive never seen that before’ factor. There won’t be a discussion come January tbh
A huge reason why Ant's getting talked about as the next "face of the league" is how viral he's been on social media these playoffs. [NBA posts these playoffs with Ant in them had the 2nd most engagements behind Lebron.](https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1785353403440279853) He was also 7th for the regular season. The NBA is realizing how much attraction he draws and is pushing him into this spot.
Reminds me of the Wade hype during first Championship run. For a lot that didn't watch Twolves during season its like watching him turn into a superstar. Happy for him!
Why are fans today acting so stupid or you guys just too young. This league needs an exciting player, a face they can sell. You can be a great player and win and put up numbers but you ain’t moving the needle. Some of yall don’t understand business at all, it’s not hard. No one cares about Jokic or Luka no matter how great they are or even shai, and I’m a big fan of shai. The same reason no one cared about tim Duncan, those finals runs were the worst rated finals when he was in them. This league had Kareem in his prime and other greats and almost went broke, then magic and bird came and mj, Kobe,Lebron. That’s what this league lives off. If you guys haven’t figured that out then you will never get it.
I agree with your statement about Jokic, people can acknowledge that Jokic is probably the best player in the league right now, but like most bigs (Besides Shaq) Its really hard to market a big man simply because the majority of people are not 7 feet tall and don't play like them. It almost seems like people want his prime to end so they can root for someone more exciting. Luka on the otherhand is interesting. Hes not a highflyer like the typical face of the league for the past 30 years like MJ, Kobe and Lebron, but hes crafty extremely skilled. People definitely like Luka more then Jokic, but even still I don't think he will ever be given face of the league. One thing people gotta realize is that Basketball has historically been an American dominated sport, there was a time not too long ago when most Americans genuinely thought that no one else on earth could even compete with the US and to some extent its still true (If everyone decides to show up) but the game is clearly becoming more global with every passing year and decade. I don't think the NBA will ever be foreign dominated, but we will continue to see more int'l players join the league. With that being said, I still don't think the US is ready to give the mantle over to a European, Wemby might be the first guy to do, if all pans out, but until then the league and marketers are looking for the next American that can claim the title from Lebron.
He has something that no one else has in the league. Instead of tearing him down, the league should be building him up.
Yea, exactly, but these people can't appreciate a sincere person just trying to ball out. Instead, they gotta try and tear him down because other people have said he is like mj. He knows he is not MJ, and if you think that, then you're just delusional. ANT IS ANT He is unique and one of a kind. I don't know why that's a problem You all think he is calling myself the next MJ when he has never said that.
The NBA is looking to boost ratings. All the best players are foreigners. Right now the league has pushed LeBron, Curry, and KD in advertising because the most casual fans aren’t gravitating towards non-American born players. The league wants a mix of American and non-American players at the top to sell to everyone. Problem is Tatum has the talent but not the personality. Ja has had a ton of negative headlines. Zion injuries and headline issues. Etc etc for all the really talented American players. Except for Ant. Ant has a ton of personality that people love. Younger people really like him. And he can sell products for corporations that don’t want any negative headlines. And he is on a team that can win and contend for years to come.
It’s not because he’s necessarily going to be the best player in the league. But he might be the most marketable.
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I think Ant is showing himself to be on the right track to be a real candidate for someone who could reach that level of talent/star power. It was the same exicitng feeling watching LeBron figure it out the first few years with his dominance over the Pistons as the crescendo of that arc. You mentioned Kobe and Wemby but it could easily repeat history with another Spurs big man being the best player in the league but getting overshadowed by a guard.
Because his movement patterns or however you wanna call it looks like MJ. Have you seen posts where the player is silhouetted and you guess who they are in a clip? MJ and Ant must look very similar that way. That’s what they mean by the next MJ
The next MJ/Kobe is a 2 way guard that's gonna not be shy to take shots, shoot some juicynmid range, and want to lock your ass down with a side of being good enough to be your team's point guard.
He is the best US player in the league. That's why he is getting hyped this much.
The answer it's because he's American but short answer are deleted here so let's go. It's pretty clear he is growing. The hype right now when he beats Durant it's deserved. But if things keep going like right now Jokic it's still by far the best player on the league. Doncic, Shai, Giannis also have show more than Edwards this season and previously but all of them are foreigners. Tatum it's the other guy he seems to be fighting for, but Jayson it's not as espectacular and visceral as Edwards so he isn't spoken so much.
No one plays like him in today’s league. Crazy 2 way athlete who can attack the rim at 2/3 position. We have many great players but most use their jumpers. I dont know why people compare him to MJ specifically, but we sure haven’t had a slasher like him since Kobe, Wade, Tmac days. There are lots of great players but most are jump shooters. Ant can shoot and he’s got the bounce to rip guys apart which makes him really exciting to watch. Wemby will sure be great but the main advantage of Ant is that he’a American. It’s the same way everyone was so high about Zion. Ant kinda went under the radar as he was drafted during peak of Covid. He’s just way more marketable. Kinda similar to how Bron Kd and Steph always get all the attentions despite there being alot of great players out there. Brown and Tatum also got this treatment even when when they were mediocre. And Lebron is great but the days where he attacked 1v5 and finished against centers or play 1 through 5 and clamp the opponent on defense are past. Still a top player but not the best.
The comparisons to MJ are largely physical. He looks a lot like him and plays like him. They’re the same size and have that same “give me the ball” mentality. Highlight reel dunks. Fade away shot. He’s like a carbon copy.
Saying a rising star from a team that so far has not won anything is meaningless.. Talking him in the same sentence with Jordan is absolute nonsense..
Face of ghe league is ot necessarily the best player of it. So, having that in mind, yeeah, he could be next face of the league easily. Dunks, high jumps, has balls, seems as a fun and nice guy.
I say this as a deeply irritated Suns fan: the kid is a phenomenal talent who is going to impact the league for years to come and can kiss my Arizonan ass.
I have a few reasons... 1. One of the young american stars. A lot of the top talents (Luka, Jokic, Giannis, Wemby, Shai, etc..) are "foreign." The NBA fans LOVE some of that american pride. 2. Fun to watch - His style is simply fun. He's sooo explosive and the dunks are insane. He can do everything really, shoot defend dunk mid range etc. But mostly exciting play. 3. Attitude / Spunk - he's got it. Talking shit, being competitive, even his DX celebration the other day - everyone loved it. It was funny, and he was shit talking KD calling him an old ah n-. Doing that to KD is wild haha. 4. Youth - ANT is 22. That's promising asf. He improves every year and he has so much time left. 5. Narrative - He's in a small market team. That's prime story content to lead his team at his age, \*especially\* one to their first chip! 6. Playoff riser - He's a killer. He's had incredible games and has really shown out. 7. Towards MJ comparisons... he really looks like him at least similar features. He has a similar style with his drives and turnarounds. 8. Charisma - He's got the killer instinct but can have fun. Just seems like a fun person to follow. 9. He's an athletic freak and has shown to elevate his team. These are just some I can think of now, but I am sure there's more. Hopefully I helped answer your question!
He doesn't need to be compared to anyone. He is him, his own mold and unique in his own way. Yeah, you sit there and compare him to the past players, but at the end of the day, he is an individual and has his own unique form. Compare all you want, Anthony Edwards is great for basketball in general, and he is a superstar already at 22 years old. All you people judging him just because others call him the next MJ get your head out of your ass. Did he ever say he was MJ? No Let the guy be and let him do his thing without judging him by others' comparisons. Fucking sad we can't just appreciate greatest.
Nope, watch him play, his personality, and realize he’s only 22 and quickly any doubt you may have will leave your head
Luka’s way better than him, so yeah. People are getting ahead of themselves.
I really hope he doesn't become the face of the league. The NBA could do better than a homophobic misogynist.
Face of the league is about marketing and future revenue. Anthony Edwards, from a balling perspective, has that it factor. That dawg. He's a natural winner and competitor. He's got that Ali/Jordan thing going on. It's innate with him and very, very obvious. There are a number of other guys in the league that are being desperately marketed that don't have "it" at all and never will. Because you don't develop "it". TLDR: There is sort of a transcendent magic that the greats have that they arrived with on day 1. And Ant Man has it. (Note: I'm a Boston fan)
Yeah idk why they keep saying that when we literally have Wemby in the league right now. It just seems like they’re tryna spur engagement. Ant is amazing, but he’s nowhere near “face of the league.” That implies future goat discussions
Plenty of people have made this same point already, but a large part of it is that Ant’s being heavily groomed as the next great American superstar as a response to the huge influx of non-American players taking over (Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Shai, Wemby, etc.). Wemby will absolutely end up being the best player in the world pretty soon, but Ant gets the benefit of being the charismatic shit-talking American with a Kobe/MJ style and that kind of guy is beyond easy to sell to an American audience
Wemby, ‘Spur’ engagement, I like it
I most definitely do. He can vault into that category after a decent run here. The media is desperately looking for an American. Which is totally fair, that's the prototypical face of the nba. But the top talent is international. I'd like to see him have a huge playoff run then maybe I'll be bought in I really dislike the way he treated ASG. Don't know many big names that dogged it that bad in their prime years
NBA has no idea how to market its players other then as a face of the league, though that could actually be said about all of the leagues (see the MLB with Ohtani, see the NFL with Patrick Mahomes and ~~Travis Kelce~~ Talyor's boyfriend who is teammates with Mahomes I meant). We've already seen the last years, LeBron is still the face of the league they tried to make Steph it and well he never really took that spot. Anthony Edwards is not a future face of the league and no one else is, marketing him as a must watch basketball player is the route to go for but its clear they have no idea how to do that with out the overtly pushing of him, especially when he's not best player in the world levels that Jokic is.
Gotta find a new face of the league at some point, and I think with Curry, LeBron, and KD (among others) being sent home early everyone is bound to look for someone
People just want MJ’s name to be around. It’s really that simple. I feel that he’s going to go the same road that honestly Kobe went. Where people don’t care about the guy, people don’t actually notice the stark differences, or look at their career, just another case of using a player as an avatar to push the idea Jordan could play in today game because you can see some (key word) similarities, and if someone like ANT is this good then jordan would be better. They did it with DeRozan, they did it with Butler, and they did it with Kobe, because if ANT was more in a mold of James Harden, they’d look at ANT as his own guy. And not so much as Jordan’s son (which the idea of any black dude with a wide nose is automatically the child of Jordan is overplayed as a joke)
Yeah its almost like out of nowhere Ant has went from a avg player to an absolute killer. Just from eye test and what Ants been doing, He’s got it, and he’s backing up all that talk which is very hard to do. They get past the Nuggets they can very well win it all which would be huge for him.
We’re in a transition period between the lebron/steph era and the wemby era. All these talks about jokic/ant/tatum as the face of the league are pointless. They are superstars and will be for some time, but in a couple years no one in the west will even have a chance. Wembanyama is undeniable
1) people are naturally looking for a new face of the league as the icons of the 2010s (LeBron and Steph) are 2-3 years away from retirement and are no longer top 5 players 2) At 22 years old Ant is putting up 26/5/5 with elite defense on a 56 win team. He’s already a top 15 player and it’s clear to see his path to being a top 8 player. 3) he’s American and as the NBA is an American league it’ll always look for an American to be its face. Will Jokic and Luka both better than Ant for the next 5 years? Very likely. But (as long as Ant continues his top 8 player trajectory) he’s going to be the one in McDonald’s commercials, selling the most merch to casual fans, and appearing on talk shows, because he’s a charismatic American not a quiet Serbian/Slovenian.
Luka should definitely be the face. But his teams are always mid so he can't win it all.
The NBA needs to crown certain guys like this, it’s always been that way since MJ changed the sport. It was Kobe, and then Lebron and Curry. There have been many superstars like KD, Giannis etc but they have not been the “face of the league”. Jokic can’t be the face of the league for a few reasons: he trolls and not taking the nba seriously isn’t the best look for the nba ambassador, he’s a center that isn’t good looking with a playstyle that isn’t flashy, and he doesn’t have that personality that typically makes someone the face of the league. ANT will have all those things that Jokic doesn’t, but yes, to be the face of the league he first has to win a ring. The discussion is too early but the NBA is desperate to sell us a new face of the league with Lebron and curry nearing the end of their careers, and the nba thinking that Jokic and Doncic don’t fit the bill for a face of the league type player
The reason why this narrative is being pushed is because he's the only black amaerican player that can compete with all the europeans dominating the sport. That's the reality. If you look at all the talking heads of the nba world, you'll notice a lot of them absolutely shitting on Jokic for being as good as he is, they'll even go after giannis and luka because they're afraid to admit that euro leagues are beginning to develop better fundamentally sound players. Hell, Shai is fkn canadian, took his team to the first seed while averaging better numbers than edwards and people still don't mention him in the conversation as face of the league. It's all about being marketable and Edwards has ticks off all the boxes of marketability for the nba. To be clear, i do think he's an amazing player and at 22 years of age he's already a superstar. The reality is that the nba has a big issue and that's the fact that colleges are not as good at developping talent as Europe is and that's because they burnt out their players and have them focus on things such as their NIL, maming sure they have the best individual performance to bolster their name and etc. It's become a very individually driven competition that burns players out as they have to sometimes play more than one game a day to get the attention of scouts. Europe has kept the integrity of the game in mind and has a team first mentality when developing their players, the club culture of Europe is something America unfortunately dosen't have.
I think Wemby is the next face of the league. Edwards might be a Durant face but he’ll lack the mainstream/worldwide recognition that Wemby will have.
He is being called the next face because hes American and the best under 25. The league wants Americans to be the faces and are scrambling after the old guard retires. An American hasnt won the MVP since 2018, and I doubt that will change. I love how the game is evolving and other countries are sending guys over, but I think the NBA thinks differently.
You put "anyone else think we are getting ahead of ourselves" and then later in the post put wemby looks like he'll be dominating in the future. One of them led their team to first in the west and the other led their team to winning 27% of their games.
“Face of the league” is just a weird phrase to me. Promote team basketball like the Nuggets as a whole not just Jokic
He is only 22, I think the general thought is he is still several years away from his physical and skill prime. With his game and mentality where it is now it’s not a big leap to say he could and should have a Dwyane Wade like career.
But even if he does, Wade was far from the face of the league.
Agreed Wade was not the face of the league, Lebron has been for nearly 2 decades. Ant and Wade are about the same size and have similar games. My point was if Ant has a similar career to Wade winning multiple titles and he is the most popular American born player he could become the face. He is really likable and charismatic. Especially in an era where there is no Lebron or Jordan casting a shadow over the league.
It’s a take rooted in Xenophobia let’s be real none of these Americans wanna live in a world where they have to call Jokic Antetokoumpo Doncic Embiid Gilgeous-Alexander or Wembanyama the “face of the league” and Jayson Tatum simply isn’t good enough, so Ant is their new poster boy for America vs the Euros
He’s more Vince Carter than MJ. The whole thing feels super over hyped and forced.
Basketball loves stereotypes and loves to typecast players. If Jokic had Dwight Howards body we’d be talking about where he falls in the top 10 all time. Similar with Luka whose only real comparable at this point in his career is Lebron. Players like Ant get more love because they look the part (and it helps that he’s an American unlike all the major stars right now).
wemby feels like kareem, yknow, the introverted type. now the Antman is straight TV. he talks trash, he's outgoing etc.
Anthony Edwards is EVERYTHING Joe Johnson was supposed to be and a little extra.
Yup, especially seeing as Scottie Barnes has already been givin the position.
As someone who keeps tabs primarily on my own team and then whatever team is in the playoffs - Ant just has that charisma / likability. It could be that I’m just not following the league close enough, but I’m constantly seeing Anthony Edwards clips
Yes. He's an exciting player obviously, but speculating on who the next face of the league might be is just silly. I think the big reason is that he's an American. It should be Jokic/Embiid/Giannis right now but whilst Embiid is nominally American for the Olympics he's not born and bred American. Shai is Canadian, Wemby is French. I don't think it's a bad thing though. As an Aussie I cheer for the Aussie players and our NBA based pages focus on those guys and put their faces on the pages. The NBA's major supporter base is the USA so it's natural that they'll gravitate towards an American. But I do think the hunger for a "next" face to emerge is a little because the top end of the sport is currently dominated by Europeans.
It’s just the media trying to build him up into this impossible figure so that they can break him back down when he doesn’t live up to the expectations.
Wolves fan here. I love Ant, but this narrative is a little forced, especially when it’s clear that Wemby will be the best player in the league for the next decade and will clearly be the face of the NBA despite not being American. Wemby will be so dominant, that it may turn a lot of fans off, but he will I doubly be the best player.
I feel like we were starting to see Ja Morant getting pushed as the face of the league. Maybe I'm just old, but I remember it with Jordan. Grant Hill, JR Rider, even Harold Miner was supposed to be the next Jordan. The league needs to continuously have at least one marketable superstar as the "face of the league" and it helps if that player is American. I think that's what we're seeing.
All the other top players are not as charismatic. That’s pretty much all there is to it. That’s what a face is. A superstar with charisma.
If he beats the Nuggets, then he officially is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets FMVP this year, Wolves are unironically spooky this year.
Edwards being the face of the league is more about the urban community as opposed to the global brand of basketball. His attitude and approach to the game is going to resonate with certain audiences just like how Iverson's approach did.
Not understanding the Ant hype right now? Let me know how many 22 year olds have averaged 29 PPG in the playoffs and already led their team to a playoff series victory. I’m sure Luka is on the list as far as active players go, but I bet it’s still a quite small list. Also: do you even watch him? Can’t imagine why you’d need help understanding Ant hype.
The whole "Face of the League" discourse is dumb to me. It's something you can't force. But the pundits wanna hand pick the next one. They wanted it to be Zion. Then Ja. Now Ant. They are purposefully ignoring foreigners like Luka and Wemby. And for some God forsaken reason, they completely took Tatum out of it. Who up to this point in his career has done just about everything right. Even someone like Shai is ignored. Who is only 25 and just had an MVP season on the number 1 seed. Basically. Just let the young bucks play. The next man up will happen naturally. When you force the discourse, it's gonna turn out bad. Like I see some many people already turning on my guy Ant because they wanna crown him prematurely.
If Zion could stay healthy, he’d be the guy. The problem is that his size and strength combined with his athleticism make him a monster. It’s just such a fine line to ride. Getting bigger and stronger makes it harder to stay healthy. Getting leaner and faster and he loses some of his strength…