NBA Face of the League Rankings: LeBron James reminds everyone he’s still at the top

Who’s the face of the NBAand what goes into determining something like that, anyway? Anthony Edwards was asked about that recently and said that distinction comes with “a lot of responsibilities,” one of them being winning a championship. Before Victor Wembanyama fell short of that very goal, he offered that being the face of the league “can be manufactured to some extent” via social media and whoever the NBA promotes, but he mainly thought assuming the mantle is “something that will be natural.”

What everyone seems to agree on is that being the face of the league requires a rare and special combination of talent and star power — someone who commands attention on and off the court and immediately comes to mind whenever the NBA is mentioned. It’s the name that goes atop the marquee as the biggest draw. There are plenty of possibilities, but ultimately there can only be one headliner. Here, then, are our latest Face of the NBA Rankings as of July 2026.

10. The (Super) Young Guys

We’ll lump the understudies together in the interest of saving time. Cooper Flagg is the most obvious name here, but we should hold space for any number of up-and-comers who could stake their claims as well. The Spurs have several candidates (more on one of them later), including their exciting young guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper. And the most recent draft features at least four promising talents to watch, including but not limited to AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson. The future of the league is bright, but that’s something altogether different than being the face of it.

9. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Heat

The long, drawn-out divorce proceedings in Milwaukee hurt Giannis here. The Bucks should have moved on from him the moment Damian Lillard blew out his Achilles 15 months ago. Instead, the organization tried to reboot on the fly and keep their superstar in place. Meanwhile, Giannis acted like he had no agency in the matter and that his agent and the Bucks front office were in complete control while he was subject to their whims. Hard to be the face of the league when you’re also pretending like you’re not one of most talented and powerful players in the NBA.

Still, he’s Giannis — an unguardable one-name phenomenon who has dominated the league for well over a decade. The South Beach sun and Heat Culture should look good on him after finally separating from Milwaukee.

8. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Tough to be the reigning back-to-back MVP and barely crack the Face of the League Rankings. Part of that is owed to SGA being a foul merchant, which has hardly endeared him to the average NBA fan. Getting to the line and making your free throws is a skill, but that’s not the same as that style of play being fun or interesting to watch. And while SGA’s unflappable temperament serves him and the Thunder well, the next entertaining thing he says will be the first. You can’t be the face of the league if the most entertaining thing you’ve ever done off the court was some questionable singing in a commercial.

7. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Jokić is a three-time MVP and a triple-double machine. He’s one of the best thinkers and passers the NBA has ever known.

His horses might be the only thing he loves more than dishing dimes. Quick aside about Jokic being a top-tier distributor: years ago, not long after the Nuggets shipped Jusuf Nurkić to Portland and rightly landed on Joker being the main man in Denver, Jokiccć came to the arena with a giant bag of loose candy. As he walked down the hallway toward the locker room, he shared his bounty with teammates, arena staff and random passersby, including the media. I got a Jolly Rancher.

6. Luka Doncic, Lakers

Six first-team All-NBA selections in eight seasons. In the other two, he was named Rookie of the Year and was shipped from Dallas to Los Angeles in arguably the most shocking trade in league history. Dončić is so popular and talented that the guy who offloaded him was run out of Texas and, almost certainly, the NBA for good.

The Lakers became Dončić’s team the moment they traded for him, but now with LeBron gone, he gets the superstar treatment that only L.A. can offer all to himself. An MVP award or a championship would shoot him up this list.

5. Jalen Brunson, Knicks

Knicks fans will no doubt argue for him to be higher on the list, considering the Finals MVP helped deliver the team’s first championship in 53 years. Then again, it’s also remarkable that Brunson lands this high. After all, he has been overlooked and undervalued nearly his entire basketball career. Despite winning multiple championships in college, he slipped to the second round of the NBA draft. The Mavericks thought so little of him that they let him walk in free agency. When he signed with the Knicks, there were questions from fans and media members alike about whether a small guard could be the best player on a championship contender. Through it all, he’s proven the doubters wrong. His deadpan chop busting of friends like Josh Hart is as underrated on the entertainment front as his game had been prior to the Knicks finally holding that long-overdue parade. For almost his entire career, Brunson danced between the raindrops; now he’s so popular he doesn’t have to.

4. Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

Edwards insisted that being the face of the league should require winning a title. Commendable, but there are other factors at play here, including and especially charisma. Edwards is an otherworldly talent with outrageous athleticism that is only overshadowed by his outsized charm.

At the most recent All-Star festivities in Los Angeles, Edwards was asked about being ranked as one of the “hottest players” of all time. The question initially confused Ant, who thought the query was about his on-court abilities. It was not. What unfolded was vintage Edwards, who is as delightful to watch with a mic in his hand as he is with a basketball.

3. Stephen Curry, Warriors

Curry only played 43 games last season. He’ll be 39 in March. His best days, and that of the Warriors, are behind him. None of that matters. He’s still Steph — a four-time NBA champ who led the league’s most recent (and possibly last) dynasty. He’s the best shooter the league has ever seen and one of the most universally beloved players of his or any era. Who doesn’t like Curry? Who doesn’t want to catch his legendary warm-up routine when he’s in town?

The face of the league requires being an actual face of the league, a guy you’d throw up on billboards and feature in ad campaigns who’s instantly recognizable. As Q ratings go, they don’t get much higher than Steph.

2. Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Wembanyama won’t turn 23 until January. That’s a terrifying prospect for the rest of the league, given what he’s already accomplished. Wemby is the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history. He’s also the youngest player ever to make All-NBA and reach the NBA Finals in the same season. There’s nothing he can’t do on the court.

Off the court, he’s the guy who plays chess in the park, draws before the NBA Finals, brings a book to the All-Star festivities (to the bemusement of guys like Jokić) and is all too happy to be the villain when necessary. Wemby isn’t just next, he’s right now. There’s only one man left who can prevent him from having the spotlight all to himself.

If there was any debate about this, it ended when LeBron once again commanded everyone’s attention during his latest free agency decision. The league was put on hold for the better part of a month while we waited for James to pick his next organization. Five teams — the Warriors, Wolves, Cavaliers, Heat and Sixers — gave him the full-court press. James Harden and Draymond Green both declined player options to give their respective teams more flexibility in the (ultimately failed) hope of signing him.

While we braced for the announcement, people looked for clues on Rich Paul’s whiteboardcritiqued YouTube flubs and followed possible breadcrumb trails all in an attempt to divine where he would play his record-extending 24th season. The commissioner practically begged the man to make up his mind so the league could get around to making the schedule — which had such little impact on LeBron that he waited more than a week thereafter before finally choosing the Philadelphia 76ers. That is power.

James, who will be 42 in December, is still one of the best players in the league, and no one has his outsized overall influence. As he reminded us with the latest free agency sweepstakes, he’s still the king, and the throne remains his until he decides to step down.