Celtics’ Jayson Tatum Believes He Should Face of NBA When LeBron James Retires

Jan 28, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The face of the NBA has been Lakers superstar LeBron James for quite some time. What he has done in his time in the league is almost unmatched.

However, Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum has done phenomenal work recently. Tatum is only 26 years old, and his resume in the NBA is astonishing. Tatum is an NBA champion, six-time NBA All-Star, and three-time All-NBA First Team in eight NBA seasons.

The former Duke Blue Devil has the resume and recently made a case for himself to be the face of the league.

He told Michael Lee of  that he does not feel appreciated.

“Honestly, no,” Tatum said. “If you took the name and the face away from all my accomplishments and you’re just like‘This is what this Player A accomplished at 26,’ people would talk about [me] a lot differently.”

“Did he win a championship? Yes. Did he win gold medals? Yes. Was he always a part of winning seasons? Was he first-team all-NBA? Those are things that you know are hard evidence,” Tatum said. “Face of the NBA? They can always debate. But it’s like, I check off all the boxes.”

Outside of James, there are some other worthy candidates who should be the face of the league. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama are all in the mix.

However, Tatum has made a case for himself.

“I’m not trying to be somebody that I’m not,” Tatum said. “I’m comfortable in you being who you are.”

Tatum has done all he can to make a name for himself and has the popularity to back it up. He is currently listed third behind Cuirry and James on the NBA’s list of top-selling jerseys during the first half of the season.

Tatum has everything on his side to eventually be the face of the league if he already isn’t. He’s an NBA champion, was on the cover of NBA 2K25, and is on the best team in the league.

It’s not up to Tatum; he can only continue this tremendous play and win as many championships as he can.

In the season, the star forward is averaging 26.6 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three in 55 games and 36.4 minutes of action.