Is Giannis Antetokounmpo the next LeBron James yet?

Matt Velazquez wrote a fascinating piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on a fascinating question: is Giannis Antetokounmpo equipped to become the face of the NBA once LeBron James is no longer the face of the NBA?

This isn’t a thought exercise on who has next, or what it means to be the face. It’s a consideration of whether Antetokounmpo’s personality and persona (two totally separate things) have the factors necessary to take up the mantle as James (potentially) declines and Antetokounmpo escalates as the most likely candidate for Best Player in the World status.

A few things stick out. First, Antetokounmpo is maybe the first true superstar whose basketball hero is James, not someone from a prior generation. You see that in Antetokounmpo’s eclectic game, and it’s really delightful to hear how taken he was with high praise from James during the NBA All-Star Weekend. There are more James acolytes coming up through the ranks, but Antetokounmpo is the best and perhaps most devoted of them. That’s big.

Second, Antetokounmpo’s comments on whether becoming the new face of the NBA will require further American assimilation, and whether he is willing to change himself to achieve the status (he is not) is staggeringly self-aware for a guy in his mid-20s who has only been immersed in American culture for less than a decade. Frankly, that sort of refusal to bend actually does indicate the guy can do this. There’s nothing more American in a brand sense than a dedication to being one’s self.

Anyway, this is all fascinating to consider if you don’t get trapped in the weeds of debating whether James Harden or Steph Curry or Kevin Durant should actually be the face of the NBA. Antetokounmpo is the natural successor to James on the court. Off the court? We’ll see.

Pistons 119, Cavaliers 126
Jazz 116, Wizards 95
Nuggets 114, Celtics 105
Knicks 92, Raptors 128
Heat 116, Thunder 107
Warriors 105, Spurs 111
Pelicans 129, Mavericks 125 (OT)
Bulls 116, Suns 101
Pacers 98, Blazers 106

All times Eastern. Games on League Pass unless otherwise noted.

Sixers at Hornets, 7
Rockets at Hawks, 7:30
Lakers at Bucks, 8, NBA TV
Warriors at Timberwolves, 8
Nets at Kings, 10
Pacers at Clippers, 10:30, NBA TV

Dirk Nowitzki passed Wilt for No. 6 on the all-time scoring list. What a mammoth achievement. Kudos to the Big German. Assuming Nowitzki scores another 65 or so points the remainder of this season, he’d need about 800 points to catch Michael Jordan for No. 5. Nowitzki has indicated a potential interest in coming back next year. He’d need to up his scoring output substantially to hit 800 next season — he’s only going to finish with 300 points this year, but had more than 900 points last season. Hmph.

SPURS!

I wrote about what kind of legacy Kemba Walker might want.

LeBron’s pitch to free agents.

The Denver Nuggets’ playoff drought is officially over.

The NBA’s top sneakerheads are using new sneaker rules and social media to gain notoriety.

Mike Scott fell into the crowd and sipped on a lady’s drink and it turns out it was Jack.

The best way to support women’s basketball is just to watch it.

How to win your bracket pool.

Dan Devine on the possibility we are all witnesses to the first hints at post-peak LeBron.

How to watch the women’s college tournament. How to watch the men’s tournament if you’ve cut cable.

Remember Klay Thompson’s early season shooting slump? He’s now hit 200 threes for the seventh straight season, joining Steph Curry in that club.

Isaiah Thomas got a really sweet tribute video from the Celtics. Michael Malone also did a cool thing by making sure he got I.T. some early minutes, even though Thomas is out of the regular rotation. Isaiah basically has to sign with the C’s this summer, right?

And finally: get the tissues ready, because this is a very sweet basketball play.

Be excellent to each other.