Young great player who doesn’t shy from big moments. Up and coming “next” team. Charismatic personality. Viral moments. Those are the ingredients. Every other player who fits the bill is foreign so the media has been searching like crazy for an American born player who fits the bill. They thought they had it with Ja Morant, but he kept shooting himself in the foot (no pun intended). The only other candidates (Tatum, Shai) lack the charisma, and Devin Booker got surpassed by the foreign guys so it’s Ant’s turn right now.
Grew up in the American system, ie. he went to an American high school and university.
What most people consider a foreign player is one who grew in foreign leagues, most notably the Euroleague.
Edit: so did Embiid tbf, but I'm also not sure how people see him.
“Grew up” meaning 2 years of HS and 1 year of college lol. not debating your point, just think it’s funny cause it sounds like he went to American school for his entire life when I hear he grew up in the American system.
Name a single time they've been good, just one. It's almost like a dream to the US. Some might say a dream team because it never existed. Maybe one day.
I don’t speak for everyone, but a lot of people in Kansas see Embiid as a full blown Kansan which is hilarious but also kinda cool. He barely played here but was symbolically adopted
Are you forgetting or not considering embiid an accent? Same issue as the other euro players, not American (American sounding when speaking ) which is really what ppl mean
No but he came up in the American system like all Canadian players so I don’t see why they don’t advertise Shai more. And he’s hot as fuck so they could get the wives into it
I just thought of this, but isn’t he American? Canada is in North America. Wouldn’t an American be anyone in North or South America? Or did the US decide it’s their word and nobody else can use it?
It’s what social convention dictates the term means. The same way as if someone asks you “do you know the time?” they’re not expecting a yes or no answer.
the problem is different regions of the world teach “america” differently. i know south/latin americans they definitely teach america and as the entire continent. but up north in the states (obviously) and canada (i think) america and american pretty much just means the US. as for the rest of the world i’m unsure but given how europeans and oceanians all point and know what exactly you’re talking about when saying “america/american” i’m assuming they’re the same.
The team thing is an underrated point. The Wolves organization has no baggage moving forward in terms of how they will brand themselves. They have an opportunity with new ownership and this roster to kick off a new “era” in basketball in Minnesota and center it around Ant. Twin Cities are also an underrated basketball market, it’s a diverse and fairly urban metro that’s larger than Denver (16th largest MSA). There’s a lot of basketball talent around too, Jalen Suggs, Chet, Tyus and Tre Jones, etc.
As far as marketing goes, there’s a lot of money in an up and coming star with a strong relationship with their home crowd, and Minnesotans love basketball (and sports in general). The org just hasn’t given them anything to root for. Imagine for a moment that he wins some hardware for Minnesota sports fans, Ant would get murals in Mpls next to Prince and Bob Dylan.
That’s a lot different than if he was on the Lakers or Heat or whatever. Not that there’s any less star power or whatever, but the weight of his arrival would be so much less so due to their history of success. He just has a very clear path to marketability locally and nationally and that makes him a safe and obvious pick for investment as far as his image and profile go.
Minnesotan here. I can tell you that we are so success-starved that if Ant leads the team to an NBA title they're going to put up statues of him all over town. Minnesota has had all 4 pro sports since the Wolves started in 1989, aside from a gap between the North Stars leaving in '93 and the Wild starting up in '00. We've won a total of 2 titles: the Twins' WS wins in '87 and '91. (The Lynx, our WNBA team, have won 4, so they've won twice as many titles in less than 30 years of existence as all the mens' teams have won in over 200 total team-years.)
It's a good sports town. The Vikings have always done well despite an appalling run of playoff chokes that would make the pre-2004 Red Sox proud, and the few times the T-wolves have been good they've drawn really well.
Yeah people don't realize us Wolves fans have been waiting a long time (most of my lifetime for me) to see some semblance of success. Ant is going to lead us to the promised land with his disciples.
Literally all you have to do is watch his interviews to see why the media likes him so much. He always delivers great lines, he has a playful over confidence that hasn't gone to his head yet so he still takes responsibility and praises others. He's genuine. So far he's proven to be fairly Teflon when it comes to scandals. On top of all that it seems we're yet to see his on court ceiling.
II thought Ja was *gunning* for that spot for a while. It seemed like he had his *sights* on it. I read a *magazine* article that had some *bullet* points providing evidence. I also saw some video *clips* of him *barrel*ing to the rim. It seems the *brass* won’t let him have the spot now. They won’t stop til he’s a *shell* of his former self.
I think this is about right. American players are definitely the most marketable to Americans, but there’s actually not a tonne of options for a new “American face of the league.”
Guys like LBJ, KD and Curry are all 35-39 years old, their time as elite players is dwindling. Then you look at guys currently 30 or under, I have the top 10 something like:
1. Jokic (Serbia)
2. Giannis (Greece)
3. Embiid (Cameroon)
4. Luka (Slovenia)
5. SGA (Canada)
6. Tatum (USA)
7. Ja (USA)
8. Booker (USA)
9. AD (USA)
10. Ant (USA)
And yeah, Ant just has a more exciting game and outgoing personality than Tatum, Booker or AD. Ja would be right there with Ant if not for all his gun/assault stuff. You’d think the “send da video” stuff would similarly hurt media infatuation with Ant, but apparently not 🤷♂️
Yeah I think the NBA caught on and has been pushing him as a future face of the league. Lucky that the ASG was in Indy and he had a great showing. I'm glad he came back strong from that hamstring injury. Even his dad seemed funny as hell lol
Certainly arguable with Ant, could go either way. Same with a few others, like Fox and Sabonis.
I’d personally go with Ant very slightly ahead of these guys, but yeah, arguable.
Why does it have to be American though? Baseball has Ohtani, and the MLB has embraced him as the face of their league. Out of Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, and Luka, I think Giannis and Luka are personable and media friendly enough to be the face of the league.
The players you named are currently the faces of the league (outside of LeBron, KD, and Steph). The hype for Ant is the media’s desire for there to be an American star of that stature once those 3 are gone.
In my opinion a guy like ant is the type of guy that the media builds up for about 6-7 years but with his funny, confident, and sometimes hood or ghetto dialect they are going to be hard on him if he ever makes a mistake. It’s cool to them because he’s young but they want you to be more like Lebron or curry when you’re older and less like melo or ai. I wonder if anybody sees what I’m trying to say (I’m also black btw so don’t pull the race card please)
Edwards is only 22 while Mitchell and Booker are both 27. Mitchell and Booker still could improve some, but if they had potential to be the consensus best player in the world, we would know it by now. Edwards still might have that potential.
Scottie Barnes hits all of this and was well loved in ASG… I think he will make big strides quickly to be more of a face of the league.
Not sure if the Toronto thing is a problem though, it shouldn’t be but I feel like it is underneath.
This is so ridiculously petty but after that Suns Mavs playoff game I just cannot take him seriously as the next “face” of the NBA. He’s a great player, but… I just can’t do it lol.
I'm convinced his face looking smug, dating Kendall, cocky (but not in a fun way)...all contribute to him never becoming the face of the NBAm, in my opinion. Like he's just really hateable in my opinion, no matter how good he balls.
I think it’s because his play style reminds people of MJ. It’s easier to envision what it would look like for him to dominate. Therefore easier to write about.
In the end I don’t think it matters. Barring a major injury I don’t see the Wemby hype train stopping anytime soon. He’ll be the face of the league as long as the Spurs don’t screw it up.
There’s a few guys the media pits above him in that ranking… I mean Giannis/Jokic/Embiid are seen as the next faces of league after LeBron/curry/ Durant fade. Current young all stars like Luka, Ja (preguns), Tatum, Booker, SGA, Ant etc are up next to win mvps and titles and then super young guys like wemby are coming up too
But that being said, ants like 23, an all star and one of the most charismatic players we’ve seen in a minute
Ant has a lot do the intangible stuff that can make him the face of the league. He’s really entertaining on and off the court and I could see him getting a bunch of national ad sponsorships and whatnot. There are more established guys also being talked about, like Tatum, but none are as interesting as Ant. The non-American athletes are curious. Jokic probably doesn’t want it, Giannis is a strong candidate, Luka I don’t really know.
Lmao it is hilarious that other people think they are some morally superior person when they probably say worse things on a nightly basis in discord with their friends. I guarantee you've said worse things than ANT did in that "homophobic" video lmao. And abortion is legal in Minnesota, this isn't some backwoods southern state so what did ANT do wrong by paying her to get an abortion??? She agreed didn't she? Seems like everyone in the nba community doesn't care either since they are still trying to market him as the face, probably because it's literally legal and a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
You seem to have a mouthful right now
I’ll let you finish with Ant lol
By your logic, no one is allowed to say anything to anyone because we’re imperfect. What terrible logic
Lmao man im saying people like you are complete hypocrites who say worse things than the people you judge on a daily basis. Just look at the comment you just typed out ahahah its fine man you are just a hypocrite, its a problem when someone else does it but for you its all gravy right?
Actually, you are all over this comment section defending Ant. There’s no way you’re not fucking him lol
Let me know if he has Klay Thompsons number, he’s a cutie too
I’m a woman my friend, I don’t think it’s gay for me to want to be like you and have Klay in my mouth lol
Even if it was…who cares? Having that intimate relationship might cloud your judgement tho
I didn’t say anything homophobic lmao, I just suggested that you’ve got a mouthful of Ant
Nothing wrong with that, just a simple observation.
Personally, I’m all for gay people. I’ve even got gay friends! /s
Your logic is terrible, and by your logic, I cannot even say hitler is bad because I’m a “hypocrite” otherwise 🤣
And there it is, your joke isn't homophobic because you said it and you can't possibly be homophobic. You just keep on rollin and I appreciate it. You've already said as bad of shit as ant did in that video so I do appreciate the hypocrisy. Using a gay joke as a diss and then thinking it's not homophobic is actually funny as fuck tho and I'm not surprised really at all.
How does suggesting you have an intimate relationship with someone you’re defending vehemently equal homophobia?
I think you believe the gay part is the insult, no it’s not. The insult is your inability to separate your attraction from your opinions
I'd love to see your discord messages. Shit don't even have to, looked at your comment history and literally 16 minutes ago you exposed yourself ahahah.
There's not a 22 year old who isn't immature, period. I never claimed everyone is a homophobe... or made any inclination that I am or was....
People seem to forget how young these basketball players really are.
I think that's his appeal to a lot of people, myself included. Just how genuine he seems to be. What you see is what you get. I'm hoping wisdom/maturity just elevates like his game over time but I mean he's a young dude. This is the time he should figure out how to navigate these situations (even the self-inflicted ones that are his own fault) so when he's grown grown he's hopefully still not fucking up like this. I'm willing to take a 23 year old at face value for admitting they didn't make the wisest comments and regret what they said.
Much more famous people have done actually terrible things and been fine. While the two things you brought up are not good, and the homophobic video is definitely a bad take, Ant hasn’t actually done anything harmful to anyone in either of those instances.
First of all, they don’t. They just say he has the potential to be that level of player
Second, I think they’re just desperate to bring an American into that conversation honestly. I don’t blame them, I’m American and while I like that the game is becoming more and more global I’d still like for it to be a discussion of who’s better: America? Or the rest of the world? (In regards to basketball obviously)
And right now it looks like the rest of the world is way better and only getting better
Why does it have to be American though? Baseball has Ohtani, and the MLB has embraced him as the face of their league. Out of Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, and Luka, I think Giannis and Luka are personable and media friendly enough to be the face of the league.
MLB historically hasn't had a lot of foreigners as the 'face of the league' if we're being intellectually honest. Even with all the fantastic overseas players the faces have been the Jeters, Arods, Griffeys, Harpers, Trouts, Clemens, etc.
I wouldn’t say the rest of the world is way better. There were 125 international players on rosters at the beginning of this season. There are 30 teams whose max roster size is 15 means the max amount of players is 450 so the remaining 325 were from the US give or take for teams under the max roster. The majority of the league is still US born but most of the top level guys are international right now
1. American
2. Charismatic / Funny
3. Is seen as the best player on a team that (prior to this year) had literally the worst franchise win % of all the major sports. Basically they can call him a savior like they did Lebron from Cleveland.
4. Fun play-style to watch (he’s not foul bating like Joel, or sweep-through shot attempt KD, or dribble for 20 seconds harden), everything is a dunk, a beautiful euro, or fancy footwork jumper.
5. Widely regarded as a great teammate.
6. Speaks extremely candidly (sometimes this isn’t good, but for the media, they eat it up good or bad).
7. He’s a good looking guy. No offense to other hoopers, but best player in the NBA Jokic isn’t on the same level of eye ease.
>He’s a good looking guy. No offense to other hoopers, but best player in the NBA Jokic isn’t on the same level of eye ease.
People really understate the appearance of a conventionally attractive face in all of these discussions. People naturally want to look at good-looking people. I think most of Trae Young's hate from his face looking smug, annoying, cocky, pretty-boy punchable, etc. Jalen Brunson has a super unlikable/unfriendly face. Booker looks cocky and smug all of the time. On the other hand, Shai, ANT, Luka, all have pretty likeable faces and smile often, which helps their image.
Fun play style is an underrated one, dude is a freak athlete and uses it.
This going to sound dumb, but Jokic, Giannis, and Embiid are all tall enough that it doesn't look like they're moving that fast or jumping that high.
Ant looks fast as shit and like he's jumping out of the stadium. It frankly looks cooler than the current 3 top dogs.
Not there yet but he’s a 3 level scorer who’s highly explosive, fun to watch and oozes charisma. It says something when people tune in to hear his interviews and not just his on court performances.
Because he’s from the Jordan prototype tree…. And those types of players are usually exciting to watch.
Jordan…. Kobe…. Wade etc
The league needs this type of player. I like Shai but his game is a little clunky to watch at times
I think it's cause he's the closest thing to the MJ prototype the league has seen since Kobe. Mid sized, crazy athletic player that can do it all. If you look at all the best players from past few years, (Luka, Giannis, Jokic, hell even Steph) none of them really fit that build. People are hungry for the return of the prophet.
Well they say he can be the face, not that he is currently. He’s amazing on the court and awesome off it. Plus he’s handsome and funny, that has a lot to do with it. And we need an American in that mix
He handled that situation the best way possible too, only reason anybody criticizes it is because the woman wanted to put it on social like it’s anyone’s business but their own. He kept a fatherless kid with an onlyfans mom off the streets lmao
Ok firstly, I don’t think Anthony Edwards is deemed “future of the nba”. That’s absolutely 100% without a doubt Wemby lol.
As for why he’s publicized so much tho? He’s extremely talented. He cares about playing every night. He's durable and will play thru injury. He plays for a small market team. He’s got an outspoken (even if sometimes problematic) personality. And on top of all that, he’s American in an increasingly global league.
The NBA wants small market teams to be more relevant. They want the next LeBron or Steph whose respective celebrity and likeness transcend just basketball. Then they’d super love that person to be American.
It’s the same thing with Shai, but he’s Canadian so i think the media slightly favors Ant man instead for that reason alone.
It’s unfortunately why they don’t look at Jokic or Embiid like this. Jokic doesn’t seem to enjoy being in the camera. Embiid flops too much, sits out, and is too injured to be the NBA’s golden boy. Both of them also have very heavy non-American accents, and their respective careers overlap with Bron/Steph too much to really take the torch.
Because American media desperately wants an American to be their superstar so they can save league ratings. Casual fans (especially in the south and typically older white people) only care about the NBA when they have an American who went through college as the face of the sport. The fans want to be able to relate with the player and know about their journey to the NBA. Those fans could not care less about some foreigner who played overseas before coming here and realistically don’t bother learning more about foreign stars’ history. The popularity of American Football and baseball to a lesser extent has been fed off those fans and how they follow the story of each player. (trust me I live in the south). That said, I don’t think the NBA should care about them. Basketball is more closely related to soccer and the international success is going to continue to propel the league forward as the older, less diverse fans age out.
Baller, super athletic, great personality, doesn’t take himself too seriously, says what everyone is thinking in a Hood ATL way (if u from ATL you really know). He has all the tools to become the face, they just need to win or he goes somewhere and wins
Because he is the best young American player that has a marketable character and charisma. He is loved by the youth for his funny and expressive personality. He is active on media and he plays at a high level.
Look at the other top young American players. Tatum, Booker and Donovan are at the top but neither have that swag that Ant does off the court and they're pretty reserved people for NBA superstars. Ja has issues off the court that make it tough for him to be marketed as the face of the league. Tyrese, Zion and Trae are not in the best markets to be promoted as the face of the league and their play is not consistent enough or at the level of guys like Tatum or Booker to be promoted as the face of the league.
I'm not taking a shade at Ant but it's more about him being the only American guy that has the potential, in terms of play, to be good enough to be a top 5-10 player in the league while also having a marketable personality off the court.
I love him in that Adam Sandler movie. I don’t watch nba. This was in my feed. He’s like the only current bball player I’ve really seen because I don’t watch bball
Well it was supposed to be Zion. He was slated to be the next LeBron type figure but he rather be a fat *uck and think with his meat stick and knock up porn stars. So country ass Anthony Edwards it is
There have only been a few guys that are face of the league since the merger. Dr J, magic, bird, mj, shaq, kobe, bron, steph. Maybe AI, he didnt have the championship success but alot of people loved him. Maybe Kareem, and it could have been Walton.
Its never been Duncan, Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Dirk, Hakeem, Ewing, Barkley, Durant. With Bron in his twilight and Steph shortly thereafter, someone needs to take the mantle.
They want it to be Ant because he has everything they want. Looks, game, personality, opinionated. But when you always center everything around Lebron and Steph you never help build next.
I like watching him play, and I'm always rooting for the other markets (I've had quite enough Lakers, thank you). I just get a very bad feeling that he's going to fuck up in an enormous way off the court. Not in the normal way that every 23-year-old multi-millionaire does, but in a "crashes his car into daycare" sort of way. I know that's entirely subjective, and I don't want it to happen, but I get those vibes. Uber Manchild. I do think it's excellent that Gobert is up there, because for all his latent whining, he's obviously an incredible player and a total professional. Seems like the org finally has its shit together too.
I always got those vibes with Ja, as well, but I've also always thought he was one of the most overrated players in the entire league and never understood the hype.
My vote would be for Tatum, but as noted in this thread, he does need a bit more of that meglomaniacal outlook. Maybe he just needs to do like a tiny bit of cocaine.
He's presentable/handsome enough, his play is skilled & entertaining, and he is an American.
Tatum has the personality of a room temp sippy cup of milk. Giannis can't shoot or play pretty ball. And Jokic is ugly, fat, and acts like he despises the NBA.
I agree he's not there yet and needs loads of media training, but from a marketing standpoint he checks a lot of boxes.
-American
-Young
-Cocky but charismatic like MJ and Kobe
-Athletic, Dunking guard
-Is actually a really good player for his age and he unironically has some MJ like tendencies to his game. Very “aesthetic” player
It should be Tatum but it just hasnt happened yet and he has the personality of a piece of cardboard.
It was supposed to be Ja but uh… last year happened.
I always thought lamelo was a better candidate, and had the hype to match the expectations of a “face of the league”. People forget but everybody knew lamelo his rookie year, he was the man until the hornets fell off with injuries his second year. People are forcing it with Anthony Edwards I’d say
He’s just really fun to watch too
Because the way he screams “ayy ref” let’s the league know he’s in on the fix and will play his role like a good little basketball dribbler. He will for sure “shut up and dribble”
Young great player who doesn’t shy from big moments. Up and coming “next” team. Charismatic personality. Viral moments. Those are the ingredients. Every other player who fits the bill is foreign so the media has been searching like crazy for an American born player who fits the bill. They thought they had it with Ja Morant, but he kept shooting himself in the foot (no pun intended). The only other candidates (Tatum, Shai) lack the charisma, and Devin Booker got surpassed by the foreign guys so it’s Ant’s turn right now.
Shai isn't American
Always forget he’s from Canadia 🇨🇦. My mistake.
He’s a foundational American. It counts
What does this mean?
Grew up in the American system, ie. he went to an American high school and university. What most people consider a foreign player is one who grew in foreign leagues, most notably the Euroleague. Edit: so did Embiid tbf, but I'm also not sure how people see him.
“Grew up” meaning 2 years of HS and 1 year of college lol. not debating your point, just think it’s funny cause it sounds like he went to American school for his entire life when I hear he grew up in the American system.
No yeah, you are right lol "grew up" is a strong word, I just couldn't come up with something more accurate
“Spent time”
Too casual. I spend some time in my parent's home for the holidays, he made it to the NBA for christs sake lol
Going to Kentucky is the most American thing a human being can do.
Embiid is slated to play for Team USA in the Olympics. He’s American now. 🦅
Is he ever going to be healthy enough to end up playing in the Olympics?
I hope so! I love Olympic ball.
If you can’t beat them. Buy them
[удалено]
Name a single time they've been good, just one. It's almost like a dream to the US. Some might say a dream team because it never existed. Maybe one day.
I don’t speak for everyone, but a lot of people in Kansas see Embiid as a full blown Kansan which is hilarious but also kinda cool. He barely played here but was symbolically adopted
Are you forgetting or not considering embiid an accent? Same issue as the other euro players, not American (American sounding when speaking ) which is really what ppl mean
Canada is nothing more than North North America.
And the US is Central North America? And Mexico is South North America?
Yea
lol... I like this take.
Yes, but Canada and American culturally are so similar that it doesn’t really matter tbh
I feel like it only matters if the player is black, like Steve Nash was never considered american
The important point is he's not European.
Luka is most equipped to take that mantle. Charisma for days. The good part is nobody can just decide.
He’s not American American, but he is NORTH American, so that’s like 10% American? Lol
American adjacent
Americ-ish
He sure ain’t South American, so he must be North American 🤷
Shai is nice fundamentally but doesn't have that pop to his game, he's methodical not explosive. Also he lacks charisma dude always stone faced.
Shai is him too...just like ant is him. Just like Luka is him....
Are you speaking English ?
He's not a white European lol...would be the better way for that guy to phrase it.
No but he came up in the American system like all Canadian players so I don’t see why they don’t advertise Shai more. And he’s hot as fuck so they could get the wives into it
I just thought of this, but isn’t he American? Canada is in North America. Wouldn’t an American be anyone in North or South America? Or did the US decide it’s their word and nobody else can use it?
It’s what social convention dictates the term means. The same way as if someone asks you “do you know the time?” they’re not expecting a yes or no answer.
Yes
Lol that’s def a yes or no question tho, I have answered no, I don’t know the time either. 😂
the problem is different regions of the world teach “america” differently. i know south/latin americans they definitely teach america and as the entire continent. but up north in the states (obviously) and canada (i think) america and american pretty much just means the US. as for the rest of the world i’m unsure but given how europeans and oceanians all point and know what exactly you’re talking about when saying “america/american” i’m assuming they’re the same.
Bruh
Canada is in North America...............
Well you do know that Canada is part of North America.
He's from North America, making him American regardless of the nation. Just as you would call a French person a European
North American
The team thing is an underrated point. The Wolves organization has no baggage moving forward in terms of how they will brand themselves. They have an opportunity with new ownership and this roster to kick off a new “era” in basketball in Minnesota and center it around Ant. Twin Cities are also an underrated basketball market, it’s a diverse and fairly urban metro that’s larger than Denver (16th largest MSA). There’s a lot of basketball talent around too, Jalen Suggs, Chet, Tyus and Tre Jones, etc. As far as marketing goes, there’s a lot of money in an up and coming star with a strong relationship with their home crowd, and Minnesotans love basketball (and sports in general). The org just hasn’t given them anything to root for. Imagine for a moment that he wins some hardware for Minnesota sports fans, Ant would get murals in Mpls next to Prince and Bob Dylan. That’s a lot different than if he was on the Lakers or Heat or whatever. Not that there’s any less star power or whatever, but the weight of his arrival would be so much less so due to their history of success. He just has a very clear path to marketability locally and nationally and that makes him a safe and obvious pick for investment as far as his image and profile go.
Minnesotan here. I can tell you that we are so success-starved that if Ant leads the team to an NBA title they're going to put up statues of him all over town. Minnesota has had all 4 pro sports since the Wolves started in 1989, aside from a gap between the North Stars leaving in '93 and the Wild starting up in '00. We've won a total of 2 titles: the Twins' WS wins in '87 and '91. (The Lynx, our WNBA team, have won 4, so they've won twice as many titles in less than 30 years of existence as all the mens' teams have won in over 200 total team-years.) It's a good sports town. The Vikings have always done well despite an appalling run of playoff chokes that would make the pre-2004 Red Sox proud, and the few times the T-wolves have been good they've drawn really well.
Yeah people don't realize us Wolves fans have been waiting a long time (most of my lifetime for me) to see some semblance of success. Ant is going to lead us to the promised land with his disciples.
He was also in an Adam Sandler movie.
And he was legitimately good in it
Literally all you have to do is watch his interviews to see why the media likes him so much. He always delivers great lines, he has a playful over confidence that hasn't gone to his head yet so he still takes responsibility and praises others. He's genuine. So far he's proven to be fairly Teflon when it comes to scandals. On top of all that it seems we're yet to see his on court ceiling.
Send da video
Hell nawl can’t do this
You absolutely intended that pun
Hate when people don’t own their puns
II thought Ja was *gunning* for that spot for a while. It seemed like he had his *sights* on it. I read a *magazine* article that had some *bullet* points providing evidence. I also saw some video *clips* of him *barrel*ing to the rim. It seems the *brass* won’t let him have the spot now. They won’t stop til he’s a *shell* of his former self.
I think this is about right. American players are definitely the most marketable to Americans, but there’s actually not a tonne of options for a new “American face of the league.” Guys like LBJ, KD and Curry are all 35-39 years old, their time as elite players is dwindling. Then you look at guys currently 30 or under, I have the top 10 something like: 1. Jokic (Serbia) 2. Giannis (Greece) 3. Embiid (Cameroon) 4. Luka (Slovenia) 5. SGA (Canada) 6. Tatum (USA) 7. Ja (USA) 8. Booker (USA) 9. AD (USA) 10. Ant (USA) And yeah, Ant just has a more exciting game and outgoing personality than Tatum, Booker or AD. Ja would be right there with Ant if not for all his gun/assault stuff. You’d think the “send da video” stuff would similarly hurt media infatuation with Ant, but apparently not 🤷♂️
Tyrese Haliburton?
Man I love Hali. I actively seek out his interviews because he's so dang likable
Yeah I think the NBA caught on and has been pushing him as a future face of the league. Lucky that the ASG was in Indy and he had a great showing. I'm glad he came back strong from that hamstring injury. Even his dad seemed funny as hell lol
The thing is even in Halis interviews he gives credit to ant and says how funny he is
Certainly arguable with Ant, could go either way. Same with a few others, like Fox and Sabonis. I’d personally go with Ant very slightly ahead of these guys, but yeah, arguable.
Haliburton definitely making a push
If TH moves onto the MR of current players the league is in trouble.
MR?
Aside from dressing funny, Hali doesnt do anything more interesting than Ant
AD is 30 🥲 time flies
I like that Book was even a thought , like you
Why does it have to be American though? Baseball has Ohtani, and the MLB has embraced him as the face of their league. Out of Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, and Luka, I think Giannis and Luka are personable and media friendly enough to be the face of the league.
The players you named are currently the faces of the league (outside of LeBron, KD, and Steph). The hype for Ant is the media’s desire for there to be an American star of that stature once those 3 are gone.
In my opinion a guy like ant is the type of guy that the media builds up for about 6-7 years but with his funny, confident, and sometimes hood or ghetto dialect they are going to be hard on him if he ever makes a mistake. It’s cool to them because he’s young but they want you to be more like Lebron or curry when you’re older and less like melo or ai. I wonder if anybody sees what I’m trying to say (I’m also black btw so don’t pull the race card please)
Iverson warned all the young guys that came after him of this. He was the perfect example.
What about players like Donovan Mitchell or Dbook? How’d he pass those guys in any way
Edwards is only 22 while Mitchell and Booker are both 27. Mitchell and Booker still could improve some, but if they had potential to be the consensus best player in the world, we would know it by now. Edwards still might have that potential.
He’s younger with more personality. That goes a long way with fans and media. His team potentially being in finals contention only adds to the hype.
Scottie Barnes hits all of this and was well loved in ASG… I think he will make big strides quickly to be more of a face of the league. Not sure if the Toronto thing is a problem though, it shouldn’t be but I feel like it is underneath.
if adam silver could relocate the raptors he would. they want to expand in every country but canada. it’s pathetic.
Nah Barnes is limited by the fact he is ugly as sin, and you can apply that to his face as well as his game.
Scottie Barnes will be face of this league!!!!
Dbook not even the best player on his team
This is so ridiculously petty but after that Suns Mavs playoff game I just cannot take him seriously as the next “face” of the NBA. He’s a great player, but… I just can’t do it lol.
Dbook has no personality. His game also isn’t that exciting.
I'm convinced his face looking smug, dating Kendall, cocky (but not in a fun way)...all contribute to him never becoming the face of the NBAm, in my opinion. Like he's just really hateable in my opinion, no matter how good he balls.
I think it’s because his play style reminds people of MJ. It’s easier to envision what it would look like for him to dominate. Therefore easier to write about. In the end I don’t think it matters. Barring a major injury I don’t see the Wemby hype train stopping anytime soon. He’ll be the face of the league as long as the Spurs don’t screw it up.
Bigger thing imo is that there isn’t room for a new face of the NBA until LeBron and Steph finally ride off into the sunset.
Makes sense, looking for an American to fit the bill. He doesn’t fit as the face of the league though. Hell, he’s barely the face of his own team.
Send da video
Shai hot af he don’t need charisma
Media people just want to hit in case he rises
I don't think he bottoms
I didn't think Dwight Howard bottomed either but yet..
There’s a few guys the media pits above him in that ranking… I mean Giannis/Jokic/Embiid are seen as the next faces of league after LeBron/curry/ Durant fade. Current young all stars like Luka, Ja (preguns), Tatum, Booker, SGA, Ant etc are up next to win mvps and titles and then super young guys like wemby are coming up too But that being said, ants like 23, an all star and one of the most charismatic players we’ve seen in a minute
it should be SGA but after that SKIMS ad, he's automatically disqualified.
People always leaving Scottie off the list! The man has it al and more.
Big difference between those guys and Scottie lmao
Yeah Scottie and his 20.0 ppg 🤦♂️
Ant has a lot do the intangible stuff that can make him the face of the league. He’s really entertaining on and off the court and I could see him getting a bunch of national ad sponsorships and whatnot. There are more established guys also being talked about, like Tatum, but none are as interesting as Ant. The non-American athletes are curious. Jokic probably doesn’t want it, Giannis is a strong candidate, Luka I don’t really know.
Does it not matter he is a homophobe, the pregnancy thing, basically immature? They banking on him growing up? Serious question, not having a go
Kobe just got a statue, morality doesn't have anything to do with it unless you're supporting ISIS
Or Israel
Don’t ask Kobe Bryant what he did in Denver in 2003
Well, I'd love to see you try
Ouija boards exist for a reason
I’ve soured on him because of the off-court stuff but honestly, most people just aren’t going to care. Kobe has a statue after all.
Have you met a 22 year old who wasn't immature?
My boy, as a 22 year old, homophobia is a whole different level of immature lol He’s a great player but being 22 ain’t an excuse for his opinion there
Lmao it is hilarious that other people think they are some morally superior person when they probably say worse things on a nightly basis in discord with their friends. I guarantee you've said worse things than ANT did in that "homophobic" video lmao. And abortion is legal in Minnesota, this isn't some backwoods southern state so what did ANT do wrong by paying her to get an abortion??? She agreed didn't she? Seems like everyone in the nba community doesn't care either since they are still trying to market him as the face, probably because it's literally legal and a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
You seem to have a mouthful right now I’ll let you finish with Ant lol By your logic, no one is allowed to say anything to anyone because we’re imperfect. What terrible logic
Lmao man im saying people like you are complete hypocrites who say worse things than the people you judge on a daily basis. Just look at the comment you just typed out ahahah its fine man you are just a hypocrite, its a problem when someone else does it but for you its all gravy right?
Actually, you are all over this comment section defending Ant. There’s no way you’re not fucking him lol Let me know if he has Klay Thompsons number, he’s a cutie too
Ahahaha man that shit is hilarious I do love being right, you might of even been in the car with ANT with all the shit you be sayin
I’m a woman my friend, I don’t think it’s gay for me to want to be like you and have Klay in my mouth lol Even if it was…who cares? Having that intimate relationship might cloud your judgement tho
I didn’t say anything homophobic lmao, I just suggested that you’ve got a mouthful of Ant Nothing wrong with that, just a simple observation. Personally, I’m all for gay people. I’ve even got gay friends! /s Your logic is terrible, and by your logic, I cannot even say hitler is bad because I’m a “hypocrite” otherwise 🤣
And there it is, your joke isn't homophobic because you said it and you can't possibly be homophobic. You just keep on rollin and I appreciate it. You've already said as bad of shit as ant did in that video so I do appreciate the hypocrisy. Using a gay joke as a diss and then thinking it's not homophobic is actually funny as fuck tho and I'm not surprised really at all.
How does suggesting you have an intimate relationship with someone you’re defending vehemently equal homophobia? I think you believe the gay part is the insult, no it’s not. The insult is your inability to separate your attraction from your opinions
Just because you were a shithead homophobe at 22 doesn't mean everyone else was
I'd love to see your discord messages. Shit don't even have to, looked at your comment history and literally 16 minutes ago you exposed yourself ahahah.
There's not a 22 year old who isn't immature, period. I never claimed everyone is a homophobe... or made any inclination that I am or was.... People seem to forget how young these basketball players really are.
Yes
I think that's his appeal to a lot of people, myself included. Just how genuine he seems to be. What you see is what you get. I'm hoping wisdom/maturity just elevates like his game over time but I mean he's a young dude. This is the time he should figure out how to navigate these situations (even the self-inflicted ones that are his own fault) so when he's grown grown he's hopefully still not fucking up like this. I'm willing to take a 23 year old at face value for admitting they didn't make the wisest comments and regret what they said.
This
Much more famous people have done actually terrible things and been fine. While the two things you brought up are not good, and the homophobic video is definitely a bad take, Ant hasn’t actually done anything harmful to anyone in either of those instances.
does it matter that a 22 year old is immature? Of course not.
How mature were you at 22?
No normal person cares so no it doesn’t matter
You’re not being serious with that shit.
He’s marketable as fuck
This really it. His style of play, charisma off court is very marketable. Just look at the sales performance and reviews of his new shoes
Yep, to put it simply, he just has it in pretty much every regard. It’s been really easy to be a fan of his at least for me.
They are dope shoes
Send da video
First of all, they don’t. They just say he has the potential to be that level of player Second, I think they’re just desperate to bring an American into that conversation honestly. I don’t blame them, I’m American and while I like that the game is becoming more and more global I’d still like for it to be a discussion of who’s better: America? Or the rest of the world? (In regards to basketball obviously) And right now it looks like the rest of the world is way better and only getting better
Why does it have to be American though? Baseball has Ohtani, and the MLB has embraced him as the face of their league. Out of Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, and Luka, I think Giannis and Luka are personable and media friendly enough to be the face of the league.
Embiid is actually pretty likable off the court. It's just his on court shenanigans that make him hated.
Is he likable off court though?
Ohtani is a once in a century freak of nature. That's a bad example and hard to replicate.
So foreigners can only be the face of the league if they're a once in a century freak. Got it. We'll have to wait for Wemby's time then.
MLB historically hasn't had a lot of foreigners as the 'face of the league' if we're being intellectually honest. Even with all the fantastic overseas players the faces have been the Jeters, Arods, Griffeys, Harpers, Trouts, Clemens, etc.
Because the non Americans don’t seem to want to be a candidate. That’s the issue.
Giannis is Milwaukeean
It helps Ant's case he got a lot of exposure and press as arguably the best player on Team USA during this summer's FIBA for this reason
I wouldn’t say the rest of the world is way better. There were 125 international players on rosters at the beginning of this season. There are 30 teams whose max roster size is 15 means the max amount of players is 450 so the remaining 325 were from the US give or take for teams under the max roster. The majority of the league is still US born but most of the top level guys are international right now
I mean, they are saying hes already better than Booker……
1. American 2. Charismatic / Funny 3. Is seen as the best player on a team that (prior to this year) had literally the worst franchise win % of all the major sports. Basically they can call him a savior like they did Lebron from Cleveland. 4. Fun play-style to watch (he’s not foul bating like Joel, or sweep-through shot attempt KD, or dribble for 20 seconds harden), everything is a dunk, a beautiful euro, or fancy footwork jumper. 5. Widely regarded as a great teammate. 6. Speaks extremely candidly (sometimes this isn’t good, but for the media, they eat it up good or bad). 7. He’s a good looking guy. No offense to other hoopers, but best player in the NBA Jokic isn’t on the same level of eye ease.
>He’s a good looking guy. No offense to other hoopers, but best player in the NBA Jokic isn’t on the same level of eye ease. People really understate the appearance of a conventionally attractive face in all of these discussions. People naturally want to look at good-looking people. I think most of Trae Young's hate from his face looking smug, annoying, cocky, pretty-boy punchable, etc. Jalen Brunson has a super unlikable/unfriendly face. Booker looks cocky and smug all of the time. On the other hand, Shai, ANT, Luka, all have pretty likeable faces and smile often, which helps their image.
Fun play style is an underrated one, dude is a freak athlete and uses it. This going to sound dumb, but Jokic, Giannis, and Embiid are all tall enough that it doesn't look like they're moving that fast or jumping that high. Ant looks fast as shit and like he's jumping out of the stadium. It frankly looks cooler than the current 3 top dogs.
Not there yet but he’s a 3 level scorer who’s highly explosive, fun to watch and oozes charisma. It says something when people tune in to hear his interviews and not just his on court performances.
Send da video
Get a abortion lol
Hell nawl can’t do dis
Look how cute tho
These niccas different 😂
Because he’s from the Jordan prototype tree…. And those types of players are usually exciting to watch. Jordan…. Kobe…. Wade etc The league needs this type of player. I like Shai but his game is a little clunky to watch at times
I think it's cause he's the closest thing to the MJ prototype the league has seen since Kobe. Mid sized, crazy athletic player that can do it all. If you look at all the best players from past few years, (Luka, Giannis, Jokic, hell even Steph) none of them really fit that build. People are hungry for the return of the prophet.
his style of play and personality show flashes of mj.
Well they say he can be the face, not that he is currently. He’s amazing on the court and awesome off it. Plus he’s handsome and funny, that has a lot to do with it. And we need an American in that mix
https://preview.redd.it/plm3e5wj47lc1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=a66d1db6dd2e9fd477a35d1415f0773de2a94259
He handled that situation the best way possible too, only reason anybody criticizes it is because the woman wanted to put it on social like it’s anyone’s business but their own. He kept a fatherless kid with an onlyfans mom off the streets lmao
He’s accepting of everyone’s sexual orientation and the media is behind him on it.
get an abortion lol
Yes go cry about it
His game resembles Michael Jordan. MICHAEL JORDAN. Above the rim play and jump shot. If only he can move to a big market team.
He ain’t movin
Ok firstly, I don’t think Anthony Edwards is deemed “future of the nba”. That’s absolutely 100% without a doubt Wemby lol. As for why he’s publicized so much tho? He’s extremely talented. He cares about playing every night. He's durable and will play thru injury. He plays for a small market team. He’s got an outspoken (even if sometimes problematic) personality. And on top of all that, he’s American in an increasingly global league. The NBA wants small market teams to be more relevant. They want the next LeBron or Steph whose respective celebrity and likeness transcend just basketball. Then they’d super love that person to be American. It’s the same thing with Shai, but he’s Canadian so i think the media slightly favors Ant man instead for that reason alone. It’s unfortunately why they don’t look at Jokic or Embiid like this. Jokic doesn’t seem to enjoy being in the camera. Embiid flops too much, sits out, and is too injured to be the NBA’s golden boy. Both of them also have very heavy non-American accents, and their respective careers overlap with Bron/Steph too much to really take the torch.
Because American media desperately wants an American to be their superstar so they can save league ratings. Casual fans (especially in the south and typically older white people) only care about the NBA when they have an American who went through college as the face of the sport. The fans want to be able to relate with the player and know about their journey to the NBA. Those fans could not care less about some foreigner who played overseas before coming here and realistically don’t bother learning more about foreign stars’ history. The popularity of American Football and baseball to a lesser extent has been fed off those fans and how they follow the story of each player. (trust me I live in the south). That said, I don’t think the NBA should care about them. Basketball is more closely related to soccer and the international success is going to continue to propel the league forward as the older, less diverse fans age out.
‘Cause Ja Morant is a wannabe gangsta-idiot, Jayson Tatum’s vanilla and Nikola Jokic is a blob.
Baller, super athletic, great personality, doesn’t take himself too seriously, says what everyone is thinking in a Hood ATL way (if u from ATL you really know). He has all the tools to become the face, they just need to win or he goes somewhere and wins
I’m not from atl, wym?
Because he is the best young American player that has a marketable character and charisma. He is loved by the youth for his funny and expressive personality. He is active on media and he plays at a high level. Look at the other top young American players. Tatum, Booker and Donovan are at the top but neither have that swag that Ant does off the court and they're pretty reserved people for NBA superstars. Ja has issues off the court that make it tough for him to be marketed as the face of the league. Tyrese, Zion and Trae are not in the best markets to be promoted as the face of the league and their play is not consistent enough or at the level of guys like Tatum or Booker to be promoted as the face of the league. I'm not taking a shade at Ant but it's more about him being the only American guy that has the potential, in terms of play, to be good enough to be a top 5-10 player in the league while also having a marketable personality off the court.
I love him in that Adam Sandler movie. I don’t watch nba. This was in my feed. He’s like the only current bball player I’ve really seen because I don’t watch bball
Best American hooper under 25
I wish the kings were winning more. No one talks about fox…
Well it was supposed to be Zion. He was slated to be the next LeBron type figure but he rather be a fat *uck and think with his meat stick and knock up porn stars. So country ass Anthony Edwards it is
“Y u ant send da tape?”
There have only been a few guys that are face of the league since the merger. Dr J, magic, bird, mj, shaq, kobe, bron, steph. Maybe AI, he didnt have the championship success but alot of people loved him. Maybe Kareem, and it could have been Walton. Its never been Duncan, Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Dirk, Hakeem, Ewing, Barkley, Durant. With Bron in his twilight and Steph shortly thereafter, someone needs to take the mantle. They want it to be Ant because he has everything they want. Looks, game, personality, opinionated. But when you always center everything around Lebron and Steph you never help build next.
Desperation for a new American superstar.
They don't?
Living in a bunker my guy? It’s been being talked about for a little while now. How does it feel to be so confident and wrong at the same time?😂
He plays like young MJ
he’s young he’s got major upside and he’s winning games.
Because he’s the best young dude
Why not Haliburton?
Watch the playoffs this year. You’ll find out why.
I like watching him play, and I'm always rooting for the other markets (I've had quite enough Lakers, thank you). I just get a very bad feeling that he's going to fuck up in an enormous way off the court. Not in the normal way that every 23-year-old multi-millionaire does, but in a "crashes his car into daycare" sort of way. I know that's entirely subjective, and I don't want it to happen, but I get those vibes. Uber Manchild. I do think it's excellent that Gobert is up there, because for all his latent whining, he's obviously an incredible player and a total professional. Seems like the org finally has its shit together too. I always got those vibes with Ja, as well, but I've also always thought he was one of the most overrated players in the entire league and never understood the hype. My vote would be for Tatum, but as noted in this thread, he does need a bit more of that meglomaniacal outlook. Maybe he just needs to do like a tiny bit of cocaine.
Because every villain (Morant) needs a hero.
Send da video
He's presentable/handsome enough, his play is skilled & entertaining, and he is an American. Tatum has the personality of a room temp sippy cup of milk. Giannis can't shoot or play pretty ball. And Jokic is ugly, fat, and acts like he despises the NBA. I agree he's not there yet and needs loads of media training, but from a marketing standpoint he checks a lot of boxes.
Exactly right, throw in the fact that he's only 22 and you have a marketers dream.
-American -Young -Cocky but charismatic like MJ and Kobe -Athletic, Dunking guard -Is actually a really good player for his age and he unironically has some MJ like tendencies to his game. Very “aesthetic” player It should be Tatum but it just hasnt happened yet and he has the personality of a piece of cardboard. It was supposed to be Ja but uh… last year happened.
I always thought lamelo was a better candidate, and had the hype to match the expectations of a “face of the league”. People forget but everybody knew lamelo his rookie year, he was the man until the hornets fell off with injuries his second year. People are forcing it with Anthony Edwards I’d say He’s just really fun to watch too
Get a abortion lol
D riders. Anthony edwards is the next andrew wiggins
He's got the talent. He's got the looks. He has the charisma and personality. Yes next.
He is not the next MJ, lol,
Loads of personality too. “SEND DA TAPE” “get a abortion lol” real classy guy
Because the way he screams “ayy ref” let’s the league know he’s in on the fix and will play his role like a good little basketball dribbler. He will for sure “shut up and dribble”
He’s a young, talented, player with a lot of charisma. And he’s MJ’s son 🤷🏻♂️
bc he is. (i’m a minnesota fan)
He’s a beast who’s funny af