Stephen A: "A foreigner cant be the face of the NBA. The NBA's an American-born sport

[Drygon]

Stephen A Smith: "I don't believe an international player can be the face of the NBA. I know they are global iconic figures, their popularity extends globally. But the NBA is an American born sport."

Do you agree with SAS or is he just xenophobic?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIsIgwdAYEQ

[highwhey]

i mean, a foreigner is running and ruining the country at the same time so....

[Real Men Wear Green]

It's not ideal for domestic popularity but the NBA can only choose who to market and fans can potentially make a foreigner their most popular player. With Doncic in LA you have one of the best players on the most popular team. If he can lead them to the Finals his popularity would go to an even greater level and Smith would be proven wrong. I don't see them doing that this season but it could happen in the future.

[Meticode]

No one cares if they're a foreigner or not. What it comes down to for many people to relate is what they look like. If it was someone black born in Greece like Giannis, or Cameroon like Embiid, or wherever else it wouldn't matter what country of origin they're from.

It's naive anyway to think the face of the league has to be an American born player anyway. The World has caught up to the U.S. in terms of talent it provides. The top three best MVP candidates currently are all foreigners. Shai, Gannis and Jokic.

[Full Court]

It takes the right personality regardless whether it's an American or foreign born person. There was a time when Linsanity was thing.

[FKAri]

For the NBA, the US 18-29 male demo is the most highly sought after. Ideally you want your face to be someone that is most popular with that group. Like RMWG said, it doesn't have to be an American but it's a big plus. Being great is a another plus. Other pluses: Exciting, winning, charismatic, relatable but also awe inspiring.

I actually don't know who tops that equation after LeBron/Steph/KD who are on their way out. If Luka was a light skin from Venice beach, it'd already be him. Jokic is foreign + no athletic highlights + is a big which has historically been a no-go. Tatum isn't charismatic or exciting enough but he's the best young American in their prime right now imo. Ant Edwards is close but he "doesn't want it" and isn't quite dominant yet. SGA's game is smooth, he's stylish off the court, and Canadian isn't too different. Though he is a bit quiet and his game is kinda boring. Zion and Ja have had set backs that have faded their star. LaMelo just isn't good enough. Maybe we need to look further down the line to guys like Paolo and Cade but they don't seem to have "it".

[Neal Romer]

It takes the right personality regardless whether it's an American or foreign born person. There was a time when Linsanity was thing.

Agreed. It's not that fans wont embrace foreign players. The real issue is that most elite foreign players are big men. Jokic, Embiid, Giannis, Yama, Sabonis. Even before them you had Duncan (quasi-foreign), Nowitzky, Hakeem. These guys dont cross you up or jump out the gym.

Being the 'face of the league' really just means youre a highlight machine. And that's easier for non-centers: Dr J, Magic, Bird, MJ, Iverson, Kobe, Lebron, Curry.

I know guys like Kareem and Wilt were big stars back when a 7 footer was a novelty, but it's not really what drives attention today. Even Shaq, who was a better player and more popular in commercials, was not a bigger TICKET draw than Kobe. People wanted to watch Kobe play more than Shaq.

Luka definitely has the game to be a big draw if he gets in shape and is motivated to do commercials and raise his profile etc. If he's making jaw dropping plays in big time games for the Los Angeles Lakers, he absolutely can become the face of the league. But to be his best he's gotta really be committed to conditioning, pushing the tempo, not giving up on live plays so he can argue with the refs every time he doesnt make a basket etc. He has to commit to being the best player he can and not just skate on talent. It's not clear if that's gonna happen or not.

[jayfan]

Stephen A Smith: "I don't believe an international player can be the face of the NBA. I know they are global iconic figures, their popularity extends globally. But the NBA is an American born sport."

Do you agree with SAS or is he just xenophobic?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIsIgwdAYEQ

Come on, Stephen A.

The NBA is a league, not a sport.

Basketball is the sport.

And while basketball was "invented" in the US, its inventor was a Canadian who had only been in the US for a year at the time of "invention".


.

[Mask the Embiid]

LeBron will be the face of the NBA even after he retires. Just as an ambassador alone. He wont need to run up the court again ever in his life. He will be the 1st person ever in any sport to be the face of the league without being a current player. When people say the word Basketball in 20 years, the next words mentioned will be LeBron.....James.....




Luka or Giannis or Jokic will never "have the hood". We all know the white man sets the rules in America and the black man sets whats cool in America. Every race has something in america and blacks control pop culture/trends and sets whats in and whats out for the youth......There will never be a kid in the hood wearing "air luka's". He will never be the face....none of these foreigners. Even Shai, he will always be treated like drake....he'll never truly be one of us.

[tontoz]

It takes the right personality regardless whether it's an American or foreign born person. There was a time when Linsanity was thing.


Good point. Linsanity was nuts.

[Mask the Embiid]

Good point. Linsanity was nuts.

Lin is from america...

[Neal Romer]

Lin is from america...


Yeah but nobody knew that at the time.

Probably most people still dont.

[tontoz]

Lin is from america...

Yeah it was the Asian angle that got everyone excited. If he was white or black it wouldn't have been the same.

[Axe]

For the NBA, the US 18-29 male demo is the most highly sought after. Ideally you want your face to be someone that is most popular with that group. Like RMWG said, it doesn't have to be an American but it's a big plus. Being great is a another plus. Other pluses: Exciting, winning, charismatic, relatable but also awe inspiring.

I actually don't know who tops that equation after LeBron/Steph/KD who are on their way out. If Luka was a light skin from Venice beach, it'd already be him. Jokic is foreign + no athletic highlights + is a big which has historically been a no-go. Tatum isn't charismatic or exciting enough but he's the best young American in their prime right now imo. Ant Edwards is close but he "doesn't want it" and isn't quite dominant yet. SGA's game is smooth, he's stylish off the court, and Canadian isn't too different. Though he is a bit quiet and his game is kinda boring. Zion and Ja have had set backs that have faded their star. LaMelo just isn't good enough. Maybe we need to look further down the line to guys like Paolo and Cade but they don't seem to have "it".
Oh well, whatever it could be means that someone like wemby wouldn't be it despite his potential. But i do remember saying before that the nationalities of these athletes may do play some part on viewership and their respective fanbase too.

Anyway, some ot; the narcissistic retard above you is super gay he doesn't know how to stop whining about posters who make him bleed severely because it's too much of a task for his two dead brain cells.

[ImKobe]

Basketball is global, we're not talking about football here.

[90sgoat]

It's very weird if americans can't embrace Luka, Jokic, Giannis as the faces of the league. They are all entertaining and with good personalities. Should europeans not have embraced Messi, Maradona, Neymar etc?

[sdot_thadon]

Basketball is global, we're not talking about football here.

It is global but it's base is still America. I don't think its so much that a foreign player can't be the face but they have to be incredible visually for it to register here. Perhaps if they ever expand to having franchises in other countries then it could be more viable from a marketability standpoint because we're more likely to support out own. That said I'm sure Silver and co. have been praying to the gods for Flagg to be great at this level.

[sdot_thadon]

It's very weird if americans can't embrace Luka, Jokic, Giannis as the faces of the league. They are all entertaining and with good personalities. Should europeans not have embraced Messi, Maradona, Neymar etc?

Americans will always embrace an American star 1st, even if he's of lesser quality. We know that Joker is special, as is Luka. But do either really feel like the face of the league at this point to you? They don't in us. We'll have to wait and see if playing for the Lakers can push Luka into that level of visibility here.

[ShawkFactory]

Come on, Stephen A.

The NBA is a league, not a sport.

Basketball is the sport.

And while basketball was "invented" in the US, its inventor was a Canadian who had only been in the US for a year at the time of "invention".


.

This is just semantics. He slipped up and said sport but obviously he meant the face of the NBA as an American league.

[bullettooth]

James Naismith was Canadian born.

Americans are insufferable.

[Real Men Wear Green]

James Naismith was Canadian born.To be fair, no one gives a damn.

If a foreign player is great enough and wins enough, it's entertaining enough, I think he can be the face, but no one is thinking about the nationality of Naismith, who at his most popular is the answer to a trivia question.

[sdot_thadon]

To be fair, no one gives a damn.

If a foreign player is great enough and wins enough, it's entertaining enough, I think he can be the face, but no one is thinking about the nationality of Naismith, who at his most popular is the answer to a trivia question.

This.

[ImKobe]

It is global but it's base is still America. I don't think its so much that a foreign player can't be the face but they have to be incredible visually for it to register here. Perhaps if they ever expand to having franchises in other countries then it could be more viable from a marketability standpoint because we're more likely to support out own. That said I'm sure Silver and co. have been praying to the gods for Flagg to be great at this level.

It all comes down to how good the player is and if they can win enough at the end of the day. It doesn't matter where they're from when they're dominating on the court and winning championships.

[sdot_thadon]

It all comes down to how good the player is and if they can win enough at the end of the day. It doesn't matter where they're from when they're dominating on the court and winning championships.

Winning doesn't makes stars, it makes legends. There's a difference. Stars are guys that can sell products just because they are amazing and put asses in seats. We have a few guys that have face potential skill wise but their mental off court doesn't match their aesthetics on court. You would hope a guy who's tbe face eventually checks all the boxes to be legendary but they aren't a package deal. Mj was the face long before he could win a game of marbles in the league lol.

[999Guy]

I’ve always felt Luka should’ve been way more popular in America. His name has to be a factor.

He’s a white version of LeBron in a lot of ways. A basketball prodigy.

Realistically, Luke Davis, a 6’7 super point guard who went to duke or Kentucky averaging some crazy amount that Luka would’ve averaged, would’ve got him insane hype for his NBA career. But coming over from Europe just didn’t do it.

Zion, AD, Wall, Kyrie, all had more pre-NBA hype than Luka.

Going to LA is clearly, definitively gonna make Luka face of the league now, but it shouldn’t have taken that.

[Full Court]

I’ve always felt Luka should’ve been way more popular in America. His name has to be a factor.

He’s a white version of LeBron in a lot of ways. A basketball prodigy.

Realistically, Luke Davis, a 6’7 super point guard who went to duke or Kentucky averaging some crazy amount that Luka would’ve averaged, would’ve got him insane hype for his NBA career. But coming over from Europe just didn’t do it.

Zion, AD, Wall, Kyrie, all had more pre-NBA hype than Luka.

Going to LA is clearly, definitively gonna make Luka face of the league now, but it shouldn’t have taken that.

This is true. He sandbags on defense, whines incessantly, sits around arguing with the refs while the opposition is scoring on the other end of the court, etc. I'm sure he and Lebron will get along just fine.

[3ba11]

this is how it will be from now on because Silver's spaced-out, hands-off beginner format doesn't produce the best players

[90sgoat]

I’ve always felt Luka should’ve been way more popular in America. His name has to be a factor.

He’s a white version of LeBron in a lot of ways. A basketball prodigy.

Realistically, Luke Davis, a 6’7 super point guard who went to duke or Kentucky averaging some crazy amount that Luka would’ve averaged, would’ve got him insane hype for his NBA career. But coming over from Europe just didn’t do it.

Zion, AD, Wall, Kyrie, all had more pre-NBA hype than Luka.

Going to LA is clearly, definitively gonna make Luka face of the league now, but it shouldn’t have taken that.

Luke Davis yes.

Luka had the problem that he came into the league at the peak of BLM and woke shit.

He should have been way more popular but Silver clearly didn't want to put him front and center for fears of being racist.

[ShawkFactory]

this is how it will be from now on because Silver's spaced-out, hands-off beginner format doesn't produce the best players

But the Euro's are the best players. They play in that format.