LeBron James masterfully pointed out why being the face of the NBA sucks
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Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you've had a fantastic week so far and have an even better weekend ahead of you.
The whole "face of the league" conversation is kind of exhausting, in my opinion.
It's not necessarily something that's ever been requested by a player. The face of the NBA is usually just...the face of the NBA. They never ask for it. That's how it was with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. That's how it was with Michael Jordan. That's how it's been for LeBron James and Steph Curry. That's how it will be for whoever the next guy is.
But we keep asking players repeatedly who the "face" of the NBA is today. I can understand why. The current faces in James, Curry and even Kevin Durant are in the twilight of their careers. When they're gone, someone will eventually pick up the mantle. Figuring out who that next person will be is a mildly interesting conversation.
No one has a good answer. It's mainly because no one seems to want to be. Anthony Edwards, who consistently gets offered up as a potential face, said he wants no part of it. Why? Because it sucks!
LeBron James explained why in his postgame interview after playing Edwards and the Timberwolves:
“Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis [expletive] on everybody? It’s weird energy," James said.
Points were made, folks!
As an expert on the matter, James brings plenty of perspective to the table with this conversation. Being the face of the league means constantly being under the microscope. And being that right *now* when opinions always seem to be so overwhelmingly negative about the NBA, it just doesn't seem like something anyone would want to deal with — let alone a 23-year-old star is still only just cutting his teeth in the NBA.
Don't get me wrong — being the face of something is a privilege. It boosts your profile. You're generally more positively remembered in the game's history when you're one of its faces. Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan won the same number of championships — only one of those guys pops up in people's GOAT conversations.
But it can also be a burden, too. Being constantly hounded doesn't sound fun. Neither does having your every move looked at under a microscope. James has had to deal with criticism of all kinds over the last 22 seasons. I'm old enough to remember the whole Skip Bayless "clutch gene" thing. That's the sort of coverage that you only get when you're the face of the league. Nobody wants to deal with that.
Will there be another face of the league? Absolutely. I have no idea who it'll be. Neither does LeBron. The future face of the league probably doesn't even know that they'll be the face of the league.
All I ask is that, when the time comes, we're smart about how we talk about the player whenever that moment does come.
Get well soon, Pop
Gregg Popovich won't be returning to the San Antonio Spurs this season after suffering from a stroke earlier this year, according to reporting from ESPN's Shams Charania.
To be honest, this felt like the only reasonable outcome once we'd learned the severity of Pop's medical condition. You don't just bounce back from a stroke cleanly in a few months — especially not at 76 years old. Recovery takes time. Pop needs as much of that as he can get. So, while this news is disappointing, it should be welcome. His health should be the priority.
I don't know if he'll ever coach an NBA game again. If this is it for Pop, what a career he's had. Look at these stats, via Basketball Reference.
He's the most winningest coach in NBA history with 1,412 regular season wins
He's third all-time in playoff wins with 170 total.
His five championships have him tied for the third most in NBA history.
He's won an Olympic gold medal.
Pop's teams have beaten Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook's Thunder, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade's Heat and they could've beaten Stephen Curry and Durant's Golden State Warriors if not for Zaza Pachulia.
What a run. Let's hope that it can continue someday. Get well soon, Pop.
Shootaround
— NBA Centel lived, died and came back to life again on X. Bryan Kalbrosky has more on that weird...whatever it was.
— Shaedon Sharpe had the dunk of the year and there's nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.
— Part of the reason why Luka Doncic was traded was because he loved beer and hookah so much. Still gets buckets tho.
— Did you know Kate Hudson's character in Running Point is based on Jeanie Buss? Charles Curtis has more.
That's a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Have a great weekend. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
This article originally appeared on For The Win: LeBron James masterfully pointed out why being the face of the NBA sucks
