Who is the façade of the NBA? From Magic Johnson to Larry Bird, from Michael Jordan to James, the elite of these elite players became household names. Who is the current façade of the league, this is a topic to be discussed.
On this topic, ESPN commentator Stephen M. A. Smith gave the answer in his heart. Stephen C. A. Smith said that Warriors superstar Curry is the spokesperson for the NBA, not James of the Lakers.
"I'm sure everyone will choose Stephen Curry by default," Stephen A. Smith said in ESPN's First Take. "He's been winning and James hasn't. For me, that's a very critical point. In a way, Curry is the facade on the court, and James's influence is reflected outside the court. Curry is the ticket booth, and you buy tickets to watch him perform. ”
Curry has changed the way basketball is played today. He's the greatest goalscorer of all time and the reason kids shoot at halftime. And James is James. The four-time NBA champion and four-time MVP are often compared to Jordan, and the influence is self-evident. But Stephen A. Smith doesn't think he's a league facade, at least not this season.
"Despite James's personal performances that are crazy, the Lakers are struggling. Stephen Curry's team is winning and I think that allows him to be the face of the league. When you think about the fact that he's 6 feet 3, you look at what he does, you see kids going to the park and they know they can't be James. James is 2 meters 06, 113 kg tall, super athletic ability, his strength and all aspects are unattainable by ordinary people. ”
"On the other hand, Curry, you look at him and you say ' man, I can play, I can jump shot, I can do that', and I think that has a lot to do with the increase in his popularity, in fact he's a very grounded guy, he's the top scorer of all time, his team is winning. So at this particular point in time, he is more of a façade of the alliance. Given James' overall resume, it's hard to argue that anyone represents the NBA better than James. But in this particular moment, for me, it's Stephen Curry. ”
The Lakers didn't have the success they had hoped before the start of the 2021-22 season.
Meanwhile, the Warriors' record is second in the league, surprising many this season.
Still, Curry's attempt to replace James as the league façade is still a false proposition. The recent All-Star vote is the best example, James received 9,128,231 votes, the ninth time in his career to be the league's king of votes and the captain of the West, Stephen Curry is very popular, 7,659,673 votes ranked second among league fans, but compared to James is still close to 1.5 million votes less.