“Shaq took it, LeBron took it…” Charles Barkley settles ‘Face of the League’ debate among new generation

Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal recently weighed in on the debate over the NBA’s "Face of the League" during a segment on NBA on TNT.

“Shaq took it, LeBron took it…” Charles Barkley settles ‘Face of the League’ debate among new generation

Charles Barkley

Throughout its history, the NBA has often seen one or two superstar talents emerge as the league’s defining face—essentially the face of American basketball. However, that hasn’t been the case this time, leaving former NBA stars Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal puzzled as they shared their thoughts on the matter.

NBA greats like LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan have had to battle valiantly to earn that nickname in the past. But things appear to be a little different now. Barkley and O’Neal were dissatisfied with the media’s preference. This was for discussing who would be the league’s next star rather than letting the players compete for their spots and take the mantle.

YouTube video

When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came in, they were like, ‘We’re the new sheriffs in town.’ Shaq took it, Kobe took it, LeBron took it, Steph took it. I get so annoyed when I hear these guys—like you don’t give somebody [that]… You don’t give anybody the face of the game. You take it.

Charles Barkley said on the latest iteration of NBA on TNT

Shaq agreed with Barkley and added his voice. He urged the NBA’s young players to be more assertive instead of waiting for favors. Victor Wembanyama, who is only 21 years old, was in a solid position to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year title this season. This was until he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, which ended his season.

NBA fans are interested in who will win the title and run with it, as it is the talk of the ‘Face of the league.’ Of course, people will want to award the accolade to other players. Both Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant have been floated as potential contenders in the past.

Charles Barkley reacted to horrible Victor Wembanyama news

The San Antonio Spurs will travel to Austin, Texas, on Thursday night to play the Phoenix Suns.
The Spurs declared before the game that Victor Wembanyama would probably miss the rest of the 2024–25 NBA season. This was due to Wembanyama’s right shoulder being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. Regarding this, Charles Barkley provided a message of support to the French star.

I just wish him nothing but the best… This is just a bad thing for the Spurs, for the NBA. When he played over in Paris, man, it was crazy those two games. Good luck to him and his family.

Charles Barkley said via the NBA on TNT show

The Spurs will surely miss their big man for the rest of the season and the stats are proof of it. Wembanyama shot 47.6% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range. This was in 46 games during his second season.

Also, he finished with averages of 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game. With a 23-29 record in 52 games, the Spurs are ranked as the 12th seed in the Western Conference.