With LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant in the final stage of their careers, there has been constant debate about the next face of the NBA. From Anthony Edwards to Victor Wembanyama, several names have been thrown in the mix as potential candidates. Amid the buzz, Jayson Tatum recently entered his name in the discussion, hinting that he doesn’t get enough credit for everything he has achieved at such a young age, “Face of the NBA? They can always debate. But it’s like, I check off all the boxes.” But not everyone is convinced by the Celtics star’s argument. Including Fox analyst Colin Cowherd!

Addressing JT’s confession on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the media veteran said, “Jayson Tatum is a great player. But he’s closer to Duncan in personality than Magic.” Sure, Tatum has all the accolades to back his claim. An NBA Championship. Multiple All-NBA and All-Star selections. Being the best player on a historic franchise. But is it enough?

Cowherd put up a hypothetical scenario to prove that there is more to being the face of the NBA than just accolades and numbers, “Just think about this. Close your eyes. Think about Magic Johnson – You can see the smile. Think about Michael – You can see that cocky grin. Think about LeBron – You can see the imagery, pregame, chalk. You can close your eyes and there’s images with stars.” Yes, there is a certain aura and presence a superstar needs to possess to be considered the face. But Colin does not think Tatum has that, “Close your eyes now and do it with Tatum. I don’t see anything! 26 a night. I don’t see anything.”

Instead, Cowherd believes Ant-Man, if he starts playing for a big market team like the Lakers, or if Wemby joins the Knicks, they have the potential to eventually take that title. But not Tatum. “There’s a formula for all this stuff, that’s why it’s so damn hard.” He added. But what did JT say that sparked this debate?

Jayson Tatum feels ‘Underappreciated’ despite “Hard Evidence” in his favor

Well, it was earlier this week that Tatum got brutally honest in an interview with Michael Lee. When asked if he feels appreciated, the Celtics star said, “Honestly, NO. If you took the name and the face away from all my accomplishments and you’re just like ‘This is what this Player A accomplished at 26,’ people would talk about [me] a lot differently.” At just 26-years-old, Tatum has already made it to five Conference Finals and lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy once. Moreover, he has also bagged two Olympic Golds.

Addressing the disrespect, he continued, “Did he win a championship? Yes. Did he win gold medals? Yes. Was he always a part of winning seasons? Was he first-team All-NBA? Those are things that you know are hard evidence.” That’s why Tatum believes he is a legitimate candidate to be the Face of the NBA. But despite the accolades, there are some glaring concerns that weaken his case!

Sure, Tatum has been a winner ever since he got drafted. But he has done it playing alongside a star like Jaylen Brown, which, like it or not, divides the credit. Moreover, no face of the league would get benched in crucial Olympics games. But that’s what happened with JT in Paris, not once, but twice. And the icing on the cake? Critics constantly accuse him of plagiarizing other superstars’ iconic moments and celebrations. Even when Tatum won the title last year, he took a page out of Kevin Garnett’s book as he yelled, “We did it. WE DID IIIIIIIIT!” similar to KG’s “Anything’s possible. ANYTHING’S POSIBLEEE!”

Then, he even copied statements by Stephen Curry and Kanye West, saying “What they gonna say now? What they gonna say now?” and “Everybody was wondering what would happen if we didn’t win. I guess we’ll never know.” Although his heart might have been in the right place, fans surely take these details into account when assessing a superstar to be the face of the league they love. And it looks like Jayson Tatum does not fit the bill for many. What are your thoughts?