When it comes to the NBA and its history, fans have always gravitated toward a player deemed the "face" of the league. In the 1990's, that player was Michael Jordan, then in later years it became players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Recently, there have been discussions that the next player in that category could be in the Minnesota Timberwolves locker room.
Anthony Edwards has massively grown in popularity, in no small part due to his involvement with Team USA on the international stage. The best players in American basketball history have all competed with the national team, and Ant is no exception.
The continued success of the Timberwolves and the fact that the team achieved their best season in 20 years has quickly vaulted Edwards into "next face of the league" discussions. One notable figure who has hopped on Ant's bandwagon in this discussion is 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony.
Carmelo Anthony sees Ant as the next face of the league
Recently appearing on his podcast, 7 PM in Brooklyn, Melo chimed in on this ever-popular topic. In his opinion, a player as talented as Jayson Tatum is not being viewed as a potential face of the league for one big reason: Aura.
Put simply, Edwards' charisma and natural likeability has clearly had an impact on how he is viewed by the public. Jayson Tatum's unassuming and mostly tame personality, by comparison, does not seem to draw in as many passionate fans.
This is an incredible phenomenon given that Tatum is by no means a worse player than Edwards, and that Jayson has been in the league for three years longer than Minnesota's star. But as with anything, perception matters, and people are naturally drawn to a person like Ant due to his natural charm, sense of humor, and overall fun vibe.
We can continue to monitor this situation over the next several years with things like social media and jersey sales being good determining factors of who fans truly pick out as the next "face of the NBA." As it currently stands, it is hard to say there are any American players ahead of Anthony Edwards in that race.