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With the LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry era of the NBA in its final few seasons, a new “face of the NBA” must take the throne — but Charles Barkley does not think Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama should receive that honor yet.
“I saw some guys on another network the other day talking about [Wembanyama being the] ‘face of the league,’” Barkley said Thursday on TNT’s “Tip-Off” show. “I was so annoyed.”
“You don’t give anybody the face of the league… you take it”Chuck & Shaq chimed in on the face of the league debate 👀 pic.twitter.com/yd62MwLP0Y— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 20, 2025
Barkley’s frustration primarily stemmed from Wembanyama being so solidly in those discussions despite a seeming lack of success on the team level.
“You don’t give anybody the face of the game,” he said. “You take it.”
“When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came in, they’re like, ‘We’re the new sheriffs in town.’ Shaq [O’Neal] took it, Kobe [Bryant] took it, Lebron [James] took it, Steph [Curry] took it.”
Wembanyama won’t have a chance to build his case for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, a form of a blood clot, in his right shoulder.
Wembanyama’s last appearance came at All-Star Weekend, where he scored 11 points following his first All-Star selection.
The 7-foot-3 phenom is averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game this season after winning Rookie of the Year and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last year.
He was the clear frontrunner for the latter award this season but is now not eligible.
The players Barkley brings up are obviously all-time greats, and it’s safe to say that Wembanyama is a special player who may be heading in the same direction.
But Barkley doesn’t think that Wembanyama’s showings in just one-and-a-half seasons can grant him the face of the league title so easily.
O’Neal, Barkley’s TNT teammate, agreed with those sentiments.
“They will try to put somebody as the face of the league … but [Barkley] makes a great point,” O’Neal said. “You have to go take it. While they’re saying [Wembanyama], Ja Morant is thinking something different, Luka [Doncic is] thinking something different, a lot of the young guys are saying, ‘Okay, you’re going to make him the face of the league?’”
It will be long before we see Wembanyama back on the floor, but the “face of the league” talks will continue in his absence.
When Wembanyama returns, it will present a scenario where the Spurs star can come back and “take” what’s his.
