Who is the face of the NBA?
From Magic Johnson to Larry Bird, Michael Jordan to LeBron James, the best of the best become household names.
The current face of the league is open for discussion.
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On Monday, Stephen A. Smith partook in that discussion, saying he believes Warriors superstar Steph Curry, not LeBron James, is the face of the NBA.
“I believe it’s Steph Curry by default,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take. “He’s winning and LeBron’s not, that’s really what that comes down to for me. If you want to modify to some degree, LeBron is a face of what he does off the court. To me, I’m speaking specifically of on the court. Steph Curry is just as box office. You walk through the turnstiles to see the show that this brother puts on.”
Steph definitely changed the way the game of basketball is played. He’s the greatest shooter of all time and is the reason why kids at the park throw up half-court shots.
nd LeBron is LeBron. The four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP is often compared to Jordan, which speaks for itself.
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But Stephen A. isn’t convinced, at least not this season.
“Even though LeBron puts on his own show, he deserves mad credit for that, the Lakers struggle. Steph Curry is winning, and I think that puts him in that place and I think when you consider the fact that he’s 6-foot-3 and you look at what he does and you see kids going to the park, they know you can’t be LeBron, 6-feet-9, 260 locomotives coming at you, extraordinary athleticism, strength, and everything else that comes with it.
“With Steph Curry, you look at him and you say ‘Man I get on the court, I can shoot jump shots, I can be that’ and I think that has a lot to do with elevating his popularity, along with the fact that he’s incredibly likable he’s class personified, he can shoot from the parking lot, he’s the greatest shooter in the history of basketball, and his team is winning. So at this particular time, that makes him more of a face. It’s hard to say anybody is more of a face of the NBA than LeBron James considering LeBron James’ overall resume. But at this particular moment, to me, it’s Steph Curry.”
The Lakers haven’t been able to find as much success as they had hoped before the 2021-22 season started.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have the second-best record in the league and have surprised many this season.
RELATED: Wild stats from Steph's All-Star Game MVP performance
Nonetheless, the Steph-LeBron comparisons will continue.
And there’s still a lot of basketball to play, both this season and in the respective superstars' careers..