In case there was any doubt about who the NBA considers the face of their league, Nick Wright believes they just proved it’s still LeBron James.
The NBA announced its Opening Night and Christmas Day slate of games for the 2026-27 season this week. Predictably, LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers are all over it. When the NBA season tips off Oct. 20, James and the 76ers will be in New York to watch the Knicks drop their championship banner. The Sixers will be the focal point on Christmas Day as well, when James returns West to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the 5 p.m. ET window. And the reason LeBron James is still a focal point of the NBA’s Opening Night and Christmas Day games is because at 41 years old, LeBron James is still the face of the league.
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“We have a bunch of face of the league conversations, and then every single year the NBA tells us, ‘Yeah, it’s Bron,’” Wright said on his What’s Wright with Nick Wright podcast this week. “In fact, we can’t even do the schedule until LeBron signs. And when he does sign, we’re going to give his team the premier spot on Christmas Day.”
“What they are telling you is, the NBA universe still revolves around LeBron James, right or wrong,” Wright added. “And they’re scheduling it accordingly.”
James has been the best and most interesting NBA player for the better part of two decades. His scoring average may have dipped from 25 points to 20 per game, and maybe he can’t turn the worst roster into a championship contender anymore, but as long as he’s still on the court, he’s the face of the league.
Last month, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league was waiting on James to make his free agency decision so they could finish the season’s national TV schedule. No other player carries that type of clout. If James picked Cleveland or Miami, for example, the Sixers probably aren’t headlining Opening Night and Christmas Day.
Colin Cowherd can argue the face of the NBA is Ben Simmons all he wants. ESPN can attempt to make Victor Wembanyama out to be the face of the league already. But the only discussion to be had is about who will be the next face of the league. Because as long as LeBron James is still playing professional basketball, he will be the face of the league, even if he isn’t the best player on his own team.
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