The NBA world is never off-duty when it comes to debates. While the stars toil hard on the court, fans and pundits toil hard off the court, debating on their favorite stars. One of the most common debates that often revolves around the hoops community is the ‘GOAT’ debate. And to top it, ESPN’s First Take crew carried out a heated debate to find the next ‘Face of the league’. In the process, the crew took the conversation on a different route and honored LeBron James‘ wife Savannah.

Arguably, King James is currently the face of the league. The 39-year-old recently made his 20th straight appearance in the All-Star game as a starter in his 21-season-long career. While the LA Lakers superstar’s on-court resume was enough to settle the debate, Shannon Sharpe pitched in with a new analogy to determine the face of the league. It sure did shake up his colleague JJ Reddick.

In the latest episode of First Take, Sharpe said, “What about relationship status? Magic and Bird was married, LeBron was in a relationship with Savannah. How do we look at that because when we look at presidential candidates? We look at candidates. We want them to be secure… want them to be foundational pieces.” 

Sharpe compared the league superstar’s ability to become the face of the league with that of presidential candidates. In the same vein, he argued James’ marriage with Savannah helped him become the perfect face of the league.

However, JJ Reddick interrupted Sharpe and raised a valid argument. He said, “Let’s not act like some of the faces of the league have been perfect with their off-court behavior… I don’t necessarily think it’s a precursor.”

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While this debate went unsettled, let’s take a look at the rising superstars who have the potential to become the next face of the league.

Who will be the next face of the league?

LeBron and Stephen Curry are in the last stretches of their career and they will soon leave a void in the league. And it will mark the time to find the next face of the league. There are quite a few names on the list and it’s safe to say that the league is in dependable hands.

Some of the stars who can turn into the ‘Face of the league’ as per First Take are Luka Dončić, Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Importantly, none of them have won a single championship in the league so far.

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Who do you think is the next face of the league? Let us know in the comments below.