One important ingredient in the mortar that holds sports debate television together is the idea that professional sports leagues have faces—and if they don't then those leagues are in trouble. It may be fair to say that pundits seem way more interested in identifying those faces in real time and forecasting future faces than the general public but it's an evergreen topic driven by subjectivity so get used to it.
With potential face of the NBA Anthony Edwards eliminated, the NBA Finals offers an opportunity for MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to stake his claim to that title. On Tuesday morning's Get Up, Mike Greenberg asked analyst Alan Hahn if SGA becomes the featured face with a title and got a very honest answer.
"Good Lord," Hahn began. "Can we put this to rest? Can we just stop having this face of the league conversation? There's one face in the league. It's LeBron James. As long as he's still in the league, he's the face of the league. You know when you'll know who the next face of the league is? He'll let you know."
.@alanhahn is TIRED of the NBA's next face of the league conversation 👀
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 3, 2025
"There's one face in the league. It's LeBron James. ... You know when you'll know who the next face of the league is? He'll let you know. ... We're trying to push LeBron out of the league and find the next… pic.twitter.com/QVxiqGb5NJ
That seems fair. James has been, like the rest of us, just a sports fan watching the NBA playoffs from home after his Los Angeles Lakers were dispatched by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yet his presence hangs over the proceedings even if he's not in frame. Close your eyes and you'll have no problem picturing LeBron's face.
"We're trying to push LeBron out of the league and find the next one," Hahn continued. "There is no next one."
Hahn argues that a face of the NBA cannot be created and must happen organically. He may be right but the debate will continue until morale improves.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Analyst Tired of Face of NBA Debate Provides Definitive Answer .
