INDIANAPOLIS — Midway through the second quarter of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, LeBron James secured a pass with his left hand and, in one smooth motion, launched a pass over Damian Lillard's head toward the hands of Western Conference teammate Paul George.
After one dribble, George launched the ball out of bounds toward the basket, allowing it to float briefly in front of an unprotected rim. James ran down the right side of the court, grabbed the ball and hit it against the rim with both hands.
It was one of James' few familiar highlights in his record-setting 20th All-Star Game appearance. He stayed mostly in the background, scoring eight points in 14 first-half minutes before missing the rest of the West's 211-186 loss with a stubborn left ankle that has troubled him for most of the season.
Still, James earning his starting job in the NBA's midseason showcase held six weeks after the league's oldest player turned 39 was the latest reminder of his generational dominance in the sport. , a place where the NBA's all-time leading scorer said he never thought about reaching when he came into the league as the No. 1 draft pick 21 years ago.
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PG13 takes it to LeBron for the highlight
Paul George and LeBron James connect for the two-handed dunk in the second quarter.
“When I came into the league, I didn't see myself as the face of anything,” James said Sunday before the game.
“I didn't see myself as the next Michael [Jordan], or Michael's successor. When I came into the league, the first thing I thought was, “I have to start over now.”
“I had built my reputation in high school from my freshman year to my senior year, when I was a 14-year-old freshman who was 6-2, 180 pounds and I thought, 'Okay, well, how can I make myself a name? “For me in St. Vincent-St. Mary', until my senior year, where I was the number one player in the country. And that's the same thing I did when I was drafted.”
But James' 20th All-Star Game appearance served another reminder: Someday soon, arguably the greatest player in NBA history will yield the stage.
Who will be the one to take his place? The consensus among several of the games' biggest stars, including James himself, is that there is no clear answer.
“I don't think you just say, 'Okay, well, this guy's the next person,'” James said. “You have to let it happen organically and see what happens. But we have great players in this league who can do anything if they put their minds to what they want.”
THIS IS NOT THE It is the first time that Adam Silver has to oversee a succession.
Silver, now NBA commissioner, was in charge of the league's entertainment arm in 1998 when Michael Jordan retired after completing a second hat trick with the Chicago Bulls. After leading the league to record ratings and popularity during the 1990s, Jordan's departure created a massive void.
“That question came up a lot,” Silver said Saturday during his annual All-Star news conference. “Who will be the next Michael Jordan?
“And I remember at that moment, [former NBA commissioner] David Stern said that whoever proves it on the court should be. “That's the wonderful thing about competition in the league.”
When Tyrese Haliburton, who jokingly referred to himself as the “prom king of All-Star Weekend” as the star of his hometown Indiana Pacers, was asked his prediction, he took a similar view. .
“There's a lot of different guys it could be,” Haliburton said Saturday. “We'll see. To be the face of the league, winning has to come with that. Whatever young man takes that charge and wins in the future, that's probably what it will be.”
Celtics wing Jayson Tatum agreed with that assessment.
“We won a championship,” Tatum said Saturday with a smile, “[and] I have something to say about that. I know that.”
No one understands this better than Golden State Warriors All-Star guard Stephen Curry, one of the few players who rivals James in stature and popularity. Ten years ago, Curry played in his first All-Star Game when he was 24 years old and had played in the playoffs once in his five NBA seasons.
At the time, the idea of Curry winning a pair of MVP awards, four championships and appearing in six NBA Finals over the next eight seasons would have been seen as nothing less than a fantasy.
“There's a lot of guys to choose from in this group of 24 that are here,” Curry said Saturday. “You see Luka [Doncic]ant [Edwards]shay [Gilgeous-Alexander]guys who are really coming into their prime and are already highly decorated as All-Stars and All-NBA.
“I think the more you understand the authenticity that surrounds it, and like me, Bron and [Kevin Durant]We've done it and we've tried to do it our way, where it might look different for different guys. “But the league is in very good hands when it comes to young talent who I think understand the magnitude of the platform we all have.”
However, all of this still does not answer the fundamental question.
And it's noteworthy that every time someone was asked to give an answer, he quickly rattled off a series of names: Doncic, Edwards, Gilgeous-Alexander, Tatum and Haliburton were all mentioned by name by different players. So were Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell.
“There's a lot of young talent,” Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, another contender for the honor, said Saturday. “But these older guys are still elite, so you have to compete.
“You have to go after them to reach them. But our time will come eventually.”
WHILE A BUNCH Of the players touted this weekend as possible successors to James, there's one who stands out, both literally and figuratively: 7-foot-4 rookie Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
“For him, I think the most important thing throughout his career will be health,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said Saturday. “Because, if he's healthy, he has everything. You know he's going to dominate the court because you can't defend him. You can't defend him one on one. I don't know if you can defend him two on one or three.” against one. We have tried and we couldn't. Many people in the NBA have tried and he couldn't.
“As long as Victor is healthy, the league is his. LeBron is kind of like that. He's near the end of his career… but we have to deal with this problem now in the future.”
As a high school student, James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline “The One.” Meanwhile, Wembanyama had been pegged as the No. 1 pick for the past few years out of France, and the league streamed many of his games last season on its platforms in anticipation of his first NBA season.
And, like James did as a rookie, Wembanyama carries himself with the poise of a veteran and the confidence that he is capable of achieving his dreams. That's why the Spurs phenomenon didn't hesitate when they asked him if being a face of the NBA is something he had imagined.
“Of course,” Wembanyama said Saturday. “And it's something I've been working on for years, because being labeled as one of the faces of the league is not primarily about basketball, but also about your image in front of everyone.”
Wembanyama came into the league this season as the latest of the young international stars who have dominated the sport in recent years. The last five MVPs have been won by international players, a trend that will likely continue this season.
“I would say the league is in fantastic hands,” Silver said. “From the time Michael retired until now, look at the magnitude of the pool of international players coming into this league. Look at the amount of basketball that is played globally.
“I think, once again, these new players are not anointed. They prove to the world, they prove to the league that they deserve to be seen in the same unusual position as players like Michael and Kobe. [Bryant] and LeBron and others.
“Let's just watch.”
