A couple of weeks ago, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James sparked a big discussion about the face of the NBA and young players perhaps not wanting that crown because of a perceived increased amount of negativity surrounding the coverage of the game. Now, Lakers legend Pau Gasol has weighed in on the subject as well.
The Hall of Famer has is one of the most respected and well-liked players of the previous era and an absolute beloved member of back-to-back Lakers championship teams alongside Kobe Bryant. He is also one of the best international players in the history of basketball and the growth of the game globally is something he feels plays a big role in this face of the NBA conversation.
In an interview with Justin Termine on Sirius XM NBA Radio Gasol gave his thoughts, believing that there doesn’t have to be just one face of the league, while also adding that with how much the game has grown internationally, the face doesn’t have to be American either:
“It’s not that it has to be one face right? There have been great players in different eras. There were two or three players that were predominant and carried a lot of that branding lets say, within our game. I think the game has become so global that I don’t agree necessarily that the face of the league necessarily needs to be an American. I think the identity of the league that its just become, it’s a global game with a significant percentage of the players are international. International players have, the last five, seven year, those guys that you’ve mentioned: Giannis, Jokic, even Shai Gilgious-Alexander you would consider not American as well. Obviously now Luka, Wemby, it’s an international game, it’s an international brand even though it’s centrally a Northern American league.”
Gasol is right in that the NBA is a truly global brand and, as such, it shouldn’t be viewed as a bad thing for the face, or faces, of the league to represent that. The last six MVPs were all foreign players and with Shai Gilgious-Alexander the favorite in 2025, that would make seven straight international MVPs with James Harden being the last American to win the award in 2018.
The Lakers, the most popular franchise in the NBA and one of the biggest globally, now have an international face of the franchise in Luka Doncic. So if many of the best players are international, and the most popular team has a foreigner as it’s face of the franchise, it’s hard to argue with Gasol’s point.
Luka Doncic feeling more comfortable with Lakers
Speaking of that international face of the franchise for the Lakers, Luka Doncic is beginning to get more comfortable in his new home in the month since they acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks.
A recent report noted that Doncic has recently leased a house and moved in, and has also reportedly told those in his circle that he is feeling more appreciated and comfortable with how the Lakers have surrounded him with so much support since the deal.
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