A few days ago, a friend told me, “The NBA is dying.” I asked him why, and he said, “They’re trying too hard to keep basketball an American sport. There are foreign and younger players doing amazing things, but they aren’t getting the spotlight. They need to move on from LeBron and Curry already. There’s no true face of the league.”
I agreed with everything he said, but that last part stood out to me. There isn’t a clear, defining star in the NBA right now. And that’s a problem.
Superstars drive sports. They grab headlines, move merchandise, and attract casual fans. These fans might not care about or even understand box scores, but they definitely care about who is playing. Close your eyes and think of some historic stars. I’m sure you pictured someone like Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods, or Wayne Gretzky. These are names woven into both sport and American culture, appealing to even the most indifferent of fans.
Now close your eyes again, thinking of modern stars with this same impact.
You might picture Patrick Mahomes in football. Shohei Ohtani in baseball. But in basketball? You probably had to stop and think. If no one jumps out, you’re not alone. The NBA is struggling to find its next face.
The NBA is historically phenomenal when it comes to promoting stars. Wilt, Magic, MJ, Shaq, Kobe, LeBron, etc., are all guys who weren’t just great; they felt untouchable. They were in movies, TV commercials, cereal boxes, and video games. Kids collected their cards and tried to walk, talk, and play like them. My point is that the NBA once went hand-in-hand with culture.
Today, things work a bit differently. Most players avoid traditional media and instead launch personal platforms. Whether it’s Podcast P, The Draymond Green Show, or Pull Up, athletes now control their own narrative. They don’t need reporters to tell their stories anymore. While that’s great for independence, it’s bad for mystique.
Without traditional media shaping public perception, the NBA struggles to create a unified face. The league still has stars, but none dominate the conversation like Jordan or LeBron once did. Too many narratives get lost in an ocean of content.
Another reason the league lacks a true representative in the eyes of the general public is the NBA’s balance of talent. There’s more elite skill in the league than ever before, but that makes it harder to separate one player from the next. As of now, 15 NBA players have contracts worth over $200 million. Back in 2012, only five players had deals over $100 million, and three of them (LeBron, Wade, Bosh) were also the league’s most popular faces.
Social media also plays a huge role in changing how we see NBA stars. Fans can interact with players in real time, criticize them directly, and joke about their every move. NBA Twitter holds real power over perception, for better or worse. It creates inside jokes, memes, and narratives that shape how the world sees players.
This constant exposure has humanized NBA stars, but it’s also chipped away at their mythos. They don’t feel iconic anymore. They feel like guys who watch the same memes as us and reply to hate tweets. While it is cool, it also makes it harder to see them as transcendent figures.
Even mid-level players don’t need fame to make big money anymore. Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk just signed a four-year, $78 million deal. Great for him, but most casual fans don’t even know who he is. That’s a significant change from before. In the past, even the best players had to land endorsements and gain mainstream attention to earn those kinds of paydays.
It would be refreshing to see the NBA bring its best players back into the spotlight. But that takes effort. The league needs to make changes if it wants to win back casual fans and rebuild its cultural presence.
Right now, watching basketball feels more complicated than it should. Games start late, bounce between different networks, or sit behind paywalls. Sure, the NFL does this, too, but it has a far more dedicated fan base. The NBA hasn’t built that same loyalty.
Media coverage hasn’t helped either. Since ESPN’s 2023 layoffs, the league has lost some of its strongest voices. Aside from Stephen A. Smith, the TNT crew (whose future is now uncertain), and JJ Redick, very few analysts can genuinely connect with viewers. With fewer charismatic voices in sports media, there’s less excitement around the league’s storylines.
It would be fun to see the league’s best players return to the spotlight, but the NBA has to make a series of changes to entice them.
Even the NBA Finals have lost their punch. The classic Finals logo is gone, replaced by holograms and bland digital graphics. And don’t get me started on All-Star Weekend.
What used to be the most exciting event in sports now feels like an afterthought. Take your pick of forgettable cities, weak dunk contests, micro-celebrities, and no real competition. It all feels watered down.
There isn’t a shortage of incredible players, but the league hasn’t found a way to make them matter to the broader public. Until that changes, the NBA will keep struggling to connect with fans the way it once did.
Delivered by Cullen Avent
