As LeBron James played his record-breaking 20th All-Star Game, many started to ponder the question of who could be the next face of the league after the 39-year-old retires.
When asked who he looked forward to spending time with during the All-Star weekend, James listed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as one of his answers.
“I would say Shai, Ant-Man. I feel like those are two of the guys that can continue the torch after I’m done, after Steph, KD — the guys that have been setting the standard for so many years,” James said. “Ant-Man has the charisma. I love Shai.”
LeBron, Steph and KD were all asked which young players they are passing the torch to.
LeBron: SGA, Ant
Curry: SGA, Ant, Luka
KD: SGA, Ant, Booker, Luka, Maxey, Halipic.twitter.com/g5HfE8aW2O— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) February 19, 2024
This is a pretty strong endorsement for Gilgeous-Alexander, who was also tabbed as a potential next face of the league by Stephen Curry.
It’s easy to understand why James would also choose Gilgeous-Alexander as one of his candidates. He is an MVP candidate on the Thunder (37-17), a title contender whose entire starting lineup is 25 years or younger.
In 53 games, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31.1 points on 54.6% shooting, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds. It’s an impressive jump from last season, where he broke out as one of the best players in the league and finished fifth in MVP voting.
