NFL
By: Jonathan Dulce
In the history of the NBA, the transition from era to era has been a prominent theme in the league. The game started with George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers as the main stars and transitioned to Bill Russell, Jerry West, and Wilt Chamberlain in the 60s. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Julius Erving in the ’70s. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the ’80s. Jordan in the ’90s. Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Duncan in the 2000s. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant in the 2010s. Here we are, at the dawn of a new era.
Though they are still elite, it must be acknowledged that the stars who rose from the previous decade are coming down the hill of their careers and will be soon gone. We are actively witnessing the decline of MVPs like Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Both the Lakers and Nets, who have veteran teams with multiple former MVP candidates and championship expectations before the season–– failed to win a playoff game. This has sparked debate among NBA fans, causing them to speculate who will be the next faces of the league.
These playoffs are foreshadowing who that will be.
First, we have to mention Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has already established himself as one of the greatest players of all time. His play during the last 5 years of his career has elevated him into the upper echelon of current players and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Winning a championship in 2021 only cemented his spot as a legend in the game and he is unquestionably on pace to continue bringing attention to the league for years to come. Even though he is the best player in the league to many, Giannis doesn’t have the social media numbers that the following player has, and that player is Ja Morant.
This season, we watched Ja Morant take the step from a rising star to a bonafide superstar. He surely brings in superstar views. According to Sports Illustrated, Ja brought in 385 million views on NBA social media, the third most behind only Stephen Curry and LeBron James. (article written March 2nd, 2022) Ja averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game on 49/34/76 splits. In the playoffs, he also averaged 27 points while raising his rebounding and assist production to 8 and 9 per game respectively. The Grizzlies’ season ended with Ja injured, but they possibly could have beaten the Warriors if Ja stayed healthy. Ja Morant has the style, the substance, and the appeal to be one of the faces of the league, and this season, he has arrived.
Jayson Tatum has been playing high-level playoff basketball since he was 19 years old. Though his youth was treated as a recurring meme in NBA discussion, Tatum’s potential was not only shown but maximized at a young age. This season had its struggles for Tatum and the Celtics, but their late-season run catapulted them into the championship hunt, and now they have made the NBA Finals. That is in no small part thanks to Tatum’s talent as a scorer and willingness to play team defense. Tatum, at the age of 24, has gone head to head with some of the greatest players of all time, and he has held his own every time. From playing LeBron as a rookie to back-to-back duels with Kevin Durant to besting a prime Giannis in a seven-game series, Tatum is more battle-tested than most legends of the game, and he has a legit argument for being a future face of the league.
Last, but certainly not least is Luka Doncic. Luka has been on a warpath during these playoffs. After trading former All-Star center Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks found their groove, and that is all thanks to Luka Doncic’s uncanny ability to provide great looks for his teammates while putting up monster numbers himself. Doncic is an offensive engine, and the entire system of the Dallas Mavericks’ offense runs through him. For Doncic to have led Dallas to the Western Conference Finals at 23 years old with no clear second star while also missing Tim Hardaway Jr. shows that Doncic is here to stay. If the Mavericks defeat the Warriors in the WCF, Luka will have led the Mavs to the finals in his fourth year, and that would place his career on an eerily similar trajectory to the legend currently in Los Angeles, who many proclaim as the greatest player of all time.
The 2021-22 season will be remembered as a transition year for the NBA. As old stars begin to fade away, new stars emerge, and fans around the world are nothing short of excited to see who the faces of this beloved game will be.
