“This is a white dude who’s a global figure, who can ball better than most brothers” - Stephen A. Smith believes Luka Doncic is the young player most likely to be the face of the NBA
Luka Doncic continues to emerge as one of the NBA's top stars, but there is a belief that he will go beyond being one of the league's top stars and become the face of the NBA, according to Stephen A. Smith.
Luka Doncic is the leader of the Dallas Mavericks and helped the team transition out of the Dirk Nowitzki era and into a new era with Doncic as the face of the team.
As the face of the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic is one of the biggest stars in the league, despite his age. He is only 23 years old, which means he has the potential to be a part of the league for a long time.
During a segment on First Take, Stephen A. Smith explained why he believes Luka Doncic will be the next face of the NBA.
"I think everybody knows it's Luke Doncic. I mean there's no way around that because he's an international star. First of all, the NBA has done an exceptional job of globalizing its brand, and we know that, but outside of globalizing its brand, Doncic is a globalizing figure. He's not from America."
Stephen A. Smith is correct about Luka Doncic's status as an international star because the Slovenian point guard is not only from Europe, but he played in the Euro League and won a Euro League MVP.
Still, Stephen A. Smith believes that Doncic will not only be the face of the league because of his international status but also because of his ability on the court.
"We got a league filled with brothers, ok. This is a white dude who’s a global figure, who can ball better than most brothers. Period."
Luka Doncic's status as one of the best players on the planet and an international star allows him to better connect on an international level.
Given the success that Doncic has had early on in his career, Stephen A. Smith may be on to something about him becoming the face of the NBA.
Luka Doncic's early NBA success credence to Stephen A. Smith's prediction.
Luka Doncic has been one of the most dominant players in basketball during the beginning of his career and is at a pace that few of the greatest players of all time were able to play at during such a young age.
While triple-doubles are not the only statistic that matters for team success, ask the Oklahoma City Thunder; they show Luke Doncic's in-game work ethic at 23.
If he can maintain his current pace, Stephen A. Smith could prove right about his prediction.