In this panel, Draymond Green opens by celebrating LeBron James reaching the 50,000‑point milestone, recalling a memorable playoff night in Detroit where LeBron scored 25 of his last 30 points. The conversation shifts to the concept of the "face of the league," with Ernie Johnson and Baron Davis exploring why elite players may resist that role—pressure, constant scrutiny, and the risk of reputation damage. Draymond adds that the NBA has been cycling through potential successors after LeBron and Steph Curry, questioning who might next embody the league’s public image. The panel mentions several young stars—Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander, and Victor Wembanyama—as possible future faces, weighing their on‑court success, marketability, and media visibility. Throughout, the tone remains conversational and reflective, mixing admiration for LeBron’s achievements with a critical view of media hype and a cautious optimism about the next generation.
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Man, last night, Bron reached 50,000 points regular season and postseason. You obviously saw Bron come into the league from high school and obviously become one of the greatest players, if not greatest player we've ever seen play this game. Is there some moment with Bron that stands out with you more than others in watching his, man, what is it, 22 years now?
21? 22 years, 40 years old. That night in Detroit, or that night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, 'cause that was a playoff night and we got the show on the road. And he scored what, 25 straight and 29 outta 30? 30, 'cause he— Like that down the stretch. And the thing that, you know, and here's the great thing about the job that I have is being able to sit around and watch hoop with the guys I watch. I mean, you know, Kenny and Shaq and Chuck and, you know, Magic's been in there for a time before that. When you watch a performance like that and then you glance over at these dudes and they're all like, yeah, then you know you've seen something special. And so I think, I think that was the night, um, that I'll never forget. I mean, that's, it's amazing. And again, those are one of those nights that, that defied description. And on another front, obviously, the fact that Space Jam: A New Legacy— I was in that film with LeBron, obviously.
Ernie, you're big time, man.
And so, you know, and still, look, I'm still— I'm still, guys, disappointed that a best supporting actor nomination—
For real.
—did not Yeah, I'm figuring it's probably like when they had the NBA's 50 Greatest and I was working with Reggie Theus at the time and Reggie said I was number 51. So I feel like that year at the Oscars, I think there were probably 7 nominees for best supporting actor. I was 8.
He was number 8.
Yeah.
Let's get into some NBA news. A major topic today facing the NBA, LeBron and Channing Frye discuss why players are reluctant to take the face of the league role after 35 years of covering the NBA on TNT. What is your perspective of why players would resist being the face of the league?
Well, you know, we talked about this on the air the other night too about Can somebody dictate who the face of the league is, or is that something you grab, you want, and you seize it? Sometimes you can't help but be the face of the league. Sometimes that's all talent-driven, but I think it does go hand in hand with reputation, how you carry yourself. And these days, obviously nothing goes unchecked from one day to the next.
Yeah.
So you might, you know, you might have the talent to be the face of the league or the guy that everybody thinks of when they think, oh, NBA, oh, I think LeBron James, or NBA, I think Michael, back, you know, back then, that kind of thing. But I think there is some validity to that, that that they would say, look, I don't want that pressure. I don't want every step I take to be scrutinized. And so, yeah, there's something to that. But I also think that for some, it'd be, I want that. I want to be that guy. I want, you know, I want to carry the flag for the league. And with that comes the responsibility to do right. Okay? Yeah. Don't be in the headlines for the wrong things. That all goes, that all goes with it because you anoint somebody as the face of the NBA, then what happens when they slip up and do X or Y?
Oh yeah.
Is he not the face anymore? Again, it's one of those nebulous things. And I think we're always in such a hurry these days to quantify everything, that everything has to be the best, this, that, he's got to be the GOAT, she's got to be the GOAT, how can he be the GOAT if she's the GOAT, you know? Can we just not appreciate greatness?
Can we all get along?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we all not be a better human? Come on.
Yeah.
There's just this rush. And I think part of that is in the media thing and whether it's sports talk or whether it's pods or whether, whatever it is. But if on a sports talk show you got 4 hours to fill. Well, we're going to spend an hour talking about who's the— somebody just won a game last night with a, with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Is he the greatest clutch shooter of all time? Well, how can he be? And then we want to argue for— come on, just appreciate the moment. Appreciate— if we can do that. But apparently that's, that's not the way things are done anymore.
That is indeed true. I think, um, You're spot on with everything you said. Do you see someone that you say, I think that's who it's gonna be? Because it's been this interesting landscape where like for, I feel like for the last 7 years everyone has been trying to move on from Bron. And you know, for the last 3 to 4 years, everybody's been trying to move on from Steph thinking like, oh, we got it now. Like, This young guy's coming, that young guy's coming. And it's like every year it's reverted right back to those, those guys, Bron, Steph, and everything that they're doing. When you look around the landscape, is there someone that you see that it's like, no, I think it's going to be that person?
Yeah, I think, I mean, you look at the young guys in the league, you look at the teams that are doing well, you look at the opportunity for, what do you call it, PR or, or hype, more visibility. Then you say, well, hey, how about Luka in LA for years?
Yeah.
Could he become the face of the NBA? Hey, here's Shea Gildress-Alexander leading the league in scoring with a team that has the best record. Could he be the guy? Could Victor Wembenyama, this freak, be the guy? You know, that we've never seen anybody that size do the things he does. Could he be that guy?
No.
So there are a bunch of candidates out there, but the thing to remember is this isn't an election. All right? This is not like, okay, everybody have, you know, I've been a voter for years on these, on the regular season awards. Not like you're gonna add a category that says face of the league. Give us, no, you know, this is not that. This is who is going to, by their play and by their character and by their, —leadership. By their persona and their— yeah, exactly, BD. Who's that guy? And it's not like you apply for it. It's just like, well, he's the face. You know it when you see it. And so, so that's— I think that's the way it— that's the way it is. But please, let's not— let's not put this up for a vote. No, you know, that's not the way that—
