Anthony Edwards has once again made it clear he isn’t all too keen on becoming the face of the NBA. In the second episode Year Five, Edwards stated there are a lot of headaches that come with that title, and he just wants to play games and go home.
“Man, there’s a lot of s*** that comes with that face of the league, all that,” Edwards said. “You know what I’m saying? I try, but I just—my people know—I just want to play ball, and go to the crib, and play my game. I’m not really into all the other stuff, but they be wanting me to get into it.”
Edwards had previously stated that Victor Wembanyama is the ideal candidate for the next face of the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves star, who is averaging 27.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25, reckoned he was capable of being that guy but didn’t want the title.
You can’t really blame someone if they don’t want to deal with everything that comes with being the face. Edwards’ mindset appears to be somewhat similar to that of his idol, Kevin Durant. Both men just want to hoop and don’t want to concern themselves with too much else.
What also hurts Edwards’ chances of being the face of the league are some off-the-court matters. The 23-year-old does not have a crystal-clean image, to say the least. Edwards allegedly wants to avoid custody and visitation of his four-month-old daughter. He reportedly has no interest in being part of her life, and if true, that’s not the kind of individual the league would be all too keen on promoting.
The NBA would love it if another LeBron James came around. James has been incredible on the court and has been a model citizen off it. There have been no major controversies when it comes to him, and he’s the kind of character you’d want as the face of your league.
Getting back to Edwards, his focus is just on balling out and helping the Timberwolves win, and they’ve been doing a lot of that lately. They are currently on a four-game winning streak after beating the Miami Heat 106-104 on Friday and have improved to 36-29 this season.
LeBron James’ Thoughts On Anthony Edwards Not Aiming To Be The Face Of The NBA
Edwards’ initial statement unsurprisingly became a big talking point, and James was asked about it too. In response, LeBron ripped those who cover the NBA for talking down on the players all the time.
“Channing Frye said it the other day too. It’s unfortunate but, why do you want to 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*** on everybody? To have that responsibility is weird. It’s weird energy. I don’t know, Channing said it perfectly.”
James was referring to his former teammate Channing Frye’s claim that nostalgia is killing the NBA. Frye believes the media doesn’t really celebrate today’s stars and is obsessed with comparing everyone to Michael Jordan. So, he doesn’t blame the youngsters for wanting to distance themselves from this face of the league talk.
NBA coverage has indeed become far too negative, and you’d want that to change. The likes of Frye and James aren’t asking for the players to be coddled all the time but want them to be celebrated when they do accomplish something special.
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