Jayson Tatum shares who he believes will become the next faces of the NBA
BOSTON -- The NBA is not lacking on star power. That has been the case of the last several years.
Atop the talent pool has been LeBron James, who has been the face of the league for the majority of his 20-year career. But now that he's 38 and expected to retire in the near future, there will eventually be a new "face" of the NBA.
Or perhaps, there will be a slew of faces that share the title. At least that is what Jayson Tatum believes is in store or the NBA.
At a recent event for Gatorade, the Celtics star was asked about the next faces of the NBA. He mentioned a few different tiers: Some "older" guys who have already made their mark, and some younger guys looking to really establish themselves atop the league pecking order.
Tatum, of course, mentioned himself. But first he tossed out some former/reigning MVPs in Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Those guys are pretty close to taking over for LeBron anyways, so it'd be hard not to mention them.
Then Tatum threw out a group of younger players: Himself, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, his Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown, and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell. But he was quick to point out that the older guys in the league can still ball at an extremely high level.
"You got guys like me, Luka, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell. You know, younger than those guys," Tatum said, via Ball Don't Lie. "The league is in great hands. So many talented guys. You know, the older guys, Steph [Curry], LeBron, and [Kevin Durant], those guys are still doing what they do. It's very competitive."
Celtics fans are hoping that Tatum and Brown not only take over as the faces of the league sometime soon, but get over the hump and bring a title to Boston. The star duo came close with a trip to the NBA Finals two seasons ago, but came up short last season with a seven-game loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
But Tatum is right that there is plenty of top-tier throughout the NBA, and that the league is in good hands for the foreseeable future.
