Heavy is the head that wears the crown, but when LeBron James, the NBA’s reigning king, retires, someone will have to become the face of the league. The question is: Who? Discourse about the Los Angeles Lakers star’s successor began to heat up during All-Star Weekend when Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was asked if he saw himself as “that guy.” The topic has since reached fever pitch in the passing days.

James, a 22-year veteran, gets why any player would have reservations about taking over the coveted title. “Why do you wanna be the face of the league when all the people that cover our game and talk about our game on a day-to-day basis s**t on everybody? You have that responsibility — it’s weird energy,” he told reporters during locker room interviews on Thursday (Feb. 27). Edwards, 23, has already made it known that he has no interest in being the game’s global representative like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant once were during their playing days.

“[Edwards] said he [doesn’t] want it … Obviously, I didn’t ask for it, but I knew there was a responsibility for me … I feel [Edwards]. I understand. I completely understand. This is weird energy when it [comes] to that,” continued the four-time championship winner. His stance understandably shook the sports world and sparked hot takes from countless fans and pundits — Stephen A. Smith being one of them.

On Friday (Feb. 28), the “First Take” host addressed the narrative that commentators are taking aim at the NBA’s stars. “I’m sick and tired of them acting like everybody’s talking s**t about them all the time,” Smith said in the five-minute rant. “It’s just utterly ridiculous … Any way in which the game has been hurt has not been hurt by the media,” he asserted.

James responded on X, where he wrote that Smith proved the point he made about negative media coverage. “It ain’t about the ‘face of the game,’ and it ain’t about one person or show. It’s about the culture of basketball,” read, in part, one tweet.

So, which of the league’s players have been spotlighted and what has been said?

Anthony Edwards

“That’s what they got [Victor Wembanyama] for,” the Atlanta native told reporters during one-on-one interviews with media before the Feb. 16 All-Star game. He later spoke with broadcasters on the court and admitted, “I’m capable of being that guy, but … I don’t wanna be that guy, put it like that. I wanna be that guy that shows up and hoops and just kills dudes and goes home.”

Victor Wembanyama

The 21-year-old French player was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2023. The hype surrounding his rookie season rivals that of James’ two decades earlier. The Spurs center confessed, “I’d embrace it for sure,” when asked about his prospects of being one of the faces of the league. But he also humbly shared, “This is not the way to approach things — thinking about becoming the greatest of all time. I approach things [by] making sure I'm the guy in the NBA today [who] works the hardest."

Ja Morant

Future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony has already called it that the Minnesota Timberwolves star is poised for that takeover. “Ja is just waiting in the weeds. Waiting for that break. And when Ja [gets] that moment, he ain't giving it back,” Melo said during a January episode of his “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast.

Jayson Tatum

“Face of the NBA? They can always debate. But it’s like, I check off all the boxes,” Tatum told The Washington Post. The Boston Celtics small forward, 26, touted his accomplishments which include an NBA championship, Olympic medals, six NBA All-Star appearances and three All-NBA First Team selections.

Luka Dončić

The newly traded Lakers franchise player has been praised for his elite presence on the court — one that has many fans predicting that he is destined to represent the sport in the future. His blockbuster trade from the Dallas Mavericks in February is just another chapter in his six-year career. Last year, Fox Sports radio hosts Jason Smith and Mike Harmon declared, “He’s the face of the league … This is the guy. You all keep waiting and waiting when it's very organic that if Luka wins a title at 25… he’s the face of the league!”

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Two years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks giant revealed that he already saw himself as one of the league’s go-to guys, but he steered clear of boasting that he would replace James or other superstars who are nearing retirement. “LeBron’s still playing. Steph [Curry] just won a championship. [Kevin Durant is] still hooping. [Joel] Embiid’s killing. [Nikola] Jokić [is a] back-to-back MVP...There [are] a lot of people out there,” the 30-year-old “Greek Freak” said on the “How Hungry Are You?” YouTube series.