Anthony Edwards just reminded everyone that he's the future of American basketball

With the careers of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry coming to an end soon, it's fair to wonder who the next face (and overall future) of American basketball will be. Given marketability, talent, and age, Anthony Edwards always seemed like the logical choice. Jayson Tatum is certainly in this conversation as well, but he's three years older than Ant and coming off a serious injury.

Nevertheless, Edwards' All-Star Game MVP performance is a good reminder of why he holds the title as the future of American basketball. In three mini-games, Ant totaled 32 points while leading "Team Stars" to victory. It felt fitting that the final game came against LeBron, KD, and Kawhi Leonard (Curry, too, technically, but he didn't play due to injury).

Also, an important side note, the new All-Star Game format worked surprisingly well, as there was a noticeable uptick in effort and competition level. This is especially surprising after Edwards himself had hinted that this wouldn't be the case. Regardless, it was a nice moment for the league, and I think the USA vs. World format had a lot to do with that.

Claiming that Ant-Man is the future face of USA basketball due to a stellar All-Star Game performance would be a bit silly -- but I view Edwards' performance as a reminder of this fact.

Anthony Edwards is the future of American basketball until further notice

Now, Edwards has shied away from being labeled the future face of the league -- passing the baton to Victor Wembanyama. However, at some point, Ant's greatness is undeniable.

Let's be honest, the face of the league is a bit of an arbitrary title to begin with. And even if the primary face of the league is Wemby in the not-too-distant future, there's no denying Ant will be one of the faces of the league. Heck, he already is.

As for the future face of USA basketball, I think he's officially surpassed Curry for the best American player at this point (although it's close). As long as the big three of LeBron, Curry, and KD are in the league, they'll be the collective faces of American basketball (and the NBA in general) -- their legend status is simply hard to top.

Still, when they retire, Ant will be next in line to take on this title, whether he fully wants to or not.

We haven't seen an American-born MVP since James Harden in 2017-18. To me (and many others), Ant has the clearest path to be the next American-born MVP. Tatum, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, and Cooper Flagg would have to be the next four mentioned as the future faces of American basketball.

However, as of now, Edwards is the best player of this bunch (again, Tatum's injury complicates matters), and there's no denying he's the most marketable. Some members of this group could separate themselves and join Edwards as the collective faces of American basketball.

While it might seem far away, the 2028 Olympics will likely be where we see this transition of eras truly play out in a sizable way. With the legendary trio of Bron, KD, and Curry unlikely to return, Ant feels poised to be the leader of the 2028 Olympic squad.

By all accounts, the future of American basketball is in a great spot with Ant in line to take over the reins.