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Who is the next face of the NBA after LeBron James?


For the 20th time in his storied NBA career, LeBron James played in the All-Star Game last weekend in Indianapolis. A question was posed to him regarding which player will take the torch as the generation's top player when James retires, which will be in the not-so-distant future.

James had this to answer: "I don't think you just say, 'OK, well, this guy's the next person. You have to just let it happen organically and see what happens. But we have some great, great players in this league that can carry anything if they put their minds where they want it."

We thought this could be a fun task, to choose the heir apparent to Kings James's throne.

For the purposes of this exercise, we decided to include candidates under the age of 29. This non-arbitrary number was selected to exclude superstars such as Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo (who are both 29 years young). The reason for this criterion is that James still has a couple of good years left (the man is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists as a 39-year-old). Players such as Jokic and Giannis, as well as Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, could be approaching their twilight years by the time James is done.

Without further ado, let's meet our candidates for the next face of the NBA:

Luka Doncic

Like James, Donic has made the All-Star team every year since his sophomore season. The Slovenian national, who will turn 25 on February 28, is already one of the most dominant players in the league, averaging over 34 points per game this season and a near triple-double.

As you can see, Doncic doesn't rely too much on his athleticism, which should help keep him in the elite echelon as he ages. The only thing left for Doncic to do is win. Not awards, of which he has collected almost all of them (except MVP, where he is on track to finish top-10 in voting for the fifth straight season). The Mavericks have won just two playoff series since Luka arrived in Dallas, both last season. If he can continue to progress in that avenue, he can certainly take the title as the new face of the league.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Canadian who played collegiately at Kentucky just started in the All-Star game in his second appearance on that stage. Gilgeous-Alexander, like Doncic, is also 25 years old and just keeps on improving.

Gilgeous-Alexander is firmly in the MVP conversation this season, averaging north of 31 points and leading the league in steals, a true two-way star. The guard (+210) has the second-best odds to take home the league's MVP award. Last, but not least, he has the young, upstart Thunder toward the top of the Western Conference standings.

Victor Wembanyama

When you are talking about potential, there is no one with the potential to be as great as LeBron as much as Wembanyama. His length, talent and skill set are an unmatched combination, and the 20-year-old has lived up to his billing as a rookie.

The Frenchman is averaging 20.5 points and 10 rebounds per game, along with a league-leading 3.2 blocks. If he can stay healthy which can be challenging for someone with his 7-foot-4 frame, the sky is truly the limit.

The future face of the NBA is…

While these are all great options, we'll go with Doncic. He has continued to improve each season and if he ever has a decent supporting cast, there is little doubt that he can win big. Plus, his game should age gracefully throughout his career.

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