Clippers Gave Former Player’s Son Lucrative Deal to Ditch LeBron James’ Jersey at All-Star Game

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is still the de facto 'Face of the NBA' even though he is nearing the end of his career.

Clippers Gave Former Player’s Son Lucrative Deal to Ditch LeBron James’ Jersey at All-Star Game

LeBron James and Lou Williams (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Lou Williams' son was gifted multiple jerseys by the Clippers to avoid wearing a LeBron James Lakers jersey at the All-Star Game.
  • The All-Star Game attracted 8.8 million viewers, the highest ratings in 15 years, following a successful format change.
  • Stephen A. Smith believes Anthony Edwards is poised to become the next 'Face of the NBA' after LeBron James retires.

Even after Luka Doncic arrived, there is no doubt that the league’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, is still the King of sports in the city of Los Angeles.

His accolades, the family-man persona he has maintained for so long, and his general tendency to be good with fans and his superstar image have helped him remain in that position.

Throngs of fans wearing his No. 23 jersey are a common sight, particularly when games are on during the week. Fans do not stop to show their support for him, no matter how much some critics complain. It is also not uncommon to see younger generations prefer James to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, as many have seen him play into the 2020s.

My son walked in there with a LeBron James Lakers jersey on, and all of my people at the Clippers were not having it. He got sent three different jerseys from three different people, even a custom jersey with his name on the back, to make he didn’t wear a Lakers jersey into Intuit Dome.

Lou Williams said

Hearing this, Lou Williams‘ colleagues at Run It Back burst into a bout of laughter. Host Michelle Beadle pointed out that the three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner’s son was the smart one.

She felt Williams Jr. managed to fleece the Los Angeles Clippers out of four jerseys just by wearing LeBron James‘ Lakers jersey to the All-Star game. However, his father was happy that his former employer did whatever they could to ensure a Lakers jersey was not spotted in their building.

Stephen A. Smith believes Anthony Edwards is ready to take over from LeBron James as Face of the NBA

Lou Williams’ son went into the home of the Los Angeles Clippers wearing a LeBron James No. 23 Lakers jersey is proof that the 41-year-old is still the de facto ‘Face of the NBA.’

Anthony Edwards and LeBron James at the 2026 All-Star game
Anthony Edwards and LeBron James at the 2026 All-Star game (Image via Legion Hoops/X)

Ant-Man is gonna be the face of the NBA.

Stephen A. Smith said

The longtime ESPN analyst felt that the Minnesota Timberwolves superstar has everything going for him to take over the mantle when the Lakers superstar retires.

Stephen A. Smith believes that Anthony Edwards‘ mannerisms, play, and drive are similar to those of his favorite player in basketball history, Michael Jordan, and that is enough to crown him as the ‘Face of the NBA.’

Even though others brought up Victor Wembanyama’s name, Smith believes being closer to the height of normal people gives Ant-Man the edge over the 7′ 4″ center, as that makes him relevant to the majority of the league’s fans.

With LeBron James playing All-Star game garnered 15-year high numbers

Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama did their part to spice up the All-Star games on Sunday. Along with them, the OGs group, comprising LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, also did their part.

The result, as per NBC’s PR page, Sunday’s games managed to attract 8.8 million viewers on average. That happens to be the highest viewership ratings in the past 15 years.

After last season’s disastrous All-Star weekend, commissioner Adam Silver was forced to change to something he did not want to start, that is the USA vs. World format. But these numbers prove that the format has become a hit. When members of the media were praising the new format, some believed it was just fool’s gold, as some players were still not taking it seriously.

Now, these ratings confirm that fans, too, were enthralled by how essentially the same group of All-Stars managed to compete just because the format made it interesting for them.

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