The face of the NBA is wrinkled.
LeBron James is a man. He’s 40. And as long as he is playing and unwilling to cede his role, no other player will take away that status. But an opinion voiced recently by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith foolishly narrowed the field of candidates. He is convinced the role cannot be filled by an international player.
Smith is also the same guy who insisted Shohei Ohtani could not be the face of baseball because he had a translator. Look how that worked out.
It can happen in hoops. Season-ending injury notwithstanding, Victor Wembanyama meets the qualifications: He’s an uncommon big man with entertaining guard skills. And at 21 years old, he is perfectly positioned to take over. An argument can also be advanced for Luka Doncic now that he is with the Lakers.
Of course, the American audience would invest more in players it watched in high school and college. But Anthony Edwards, who has shades of Michael Jordan’s game, wants no part of being the face of the league. So don’t force it.
If a foreign player cannot take the mantle from LeBron, that is an indictment of American fans. Aside from the patriotism associated with the Olympics or 4 Nations Face-Off, I give them the benefit of the doubt. They will embrace greatness, regardless of nationality. We’ve seen it in Denver, where Nikola Jokic is the most popular Nuggets player ever.
With guaranteed money and entitlement soiling the game’s image, Wembanyama becoming the league’s face would be welcome. He represents a new wave of players who are less pampered, less selfish and care more about their fans — and maybe even about the All-Star Game.
Nothing will change until James retires. But the idea that he has to pass the torch to an American player is ridiculous.
MLB TV Misery: ESPN opted out of the final three years of its $550 million per season contract with Major League Baseball on Friday. ESPN had no choice after MLB commissioner Rob Manfred devalued the regular season product with laughable streaming deals with Apple and Roku. Maybe Amazon will come to the rescue, but losing ESPN as a partner increases the likelihood of a work stoppage in 2026, given the crisis with local TV rights deals. And my finger will point directly at Manfred — and cheap owners — for his shortsighted vision.
Red-faced Tiger: So Tiger Woods lands 100 yards short on an approach shot during TGL play because his business manager gave him the wrong distance. He said 99 yards. He pitched it 99. And this was “one of the most embarrassing moments” of Woods’ career? He really should get out more and watch loopers on the public munis where hitting houses, cars and trees is a regular occurrence.
Val coming back? It is becoming obvious that Gabe Landeskog will not play this season. This was expected. But Val Nichushkin missing the last 19 games — and likely two more this weekend — was not. You can put a smiley face on the Mikko Rantanen trade — I would not be shocked to see him dealt again as a rental — but don’t kid yourself. The Avs will not contend for the Cup without a productive and available Nichushkin.
Final Thought: The 4 Nations Face-Off captivated fans because of how much the players cared. Congratulations to Canada and MVP Nathan MacKinnon. Best-on-best exceeded expectations. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that Team USA’s slumping Auston Matthews could not find a way to squeeze a goal past Jordan Binnington.
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