LeBron James, one of the most famous and influential figures in basketball history, is entering the twilight of his career. At 40, he is already defying the odds to not just be playing top-tier basketball in the NBA, but to be putting up the type of impressive numbers that he is.
With the prospect of retirement looming ever closer, it’s only natural for basketball fans to ask what comes next. For fans of the Los Angeles Lakers, it’s an anxiety-inducing question that brings up fears about how the franchise will cope with the departure of such a significant player.
For the sport in general, the question is more of an existential one. For the better part of two decades, LeBron James has been more than just an elite-level player; he has been a cultural icon and a global ambassador for the sport.
When he goes, will there be anyone to step in and fill the void? Read on to find out as we take a look at the Heir Apparents to LeBron James’ throne.
Victor Wembanyama
The 21-year-old French skyscraper has been skewing the NBA odds throughout his short career so far, and is, according to the bookmakers, the most likely player to step in LeBron James’ cleats when he retires.
Why? Because he possesses that incredibly rare combination of earth-shatteringly large size and delicate, intricate skill that hasn’t been seen in the league since the days of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Standing at an impressive 7 feet 3 (2.26m), Wembanyama is tall enough that he could stroke a giraffe on the neck, reach above the head of an ostrich and look directly into the eyes of most brown bears on their hind legs.
Despite having his head so far in the clouds that he must suffer from a lack of oxygen, the young Frenchman has elite-level ball-handling skills and is more than capable of scoring from anywhere on the court.
All in all, he has absolutely everything he needs to go on and be the dominant force in the NBA for the next decade or so. Whether he has the charm and character to be the global face of the sport remains to be seen, but at just 21, he has years to mature and grow into that role.
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(The Eiffel Tower has been dominating the NBA since moving over from France.)
Luka Doncic
Basketball is big in Europe, in particular in central and eastern Europe, which is where 26-year-old Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic hails from. It’s perhaps the combination of this European stardom and the fact that he is really, really good at basketball that led to him becoming the first player outside of Stephen Curry or LeBron James to lead league jersey sales in the past 12 years.
In addition to this start quality, he has a playing style that lends itself to building a brand. Not only is he incredibly consistent, but he is also famed for coming up with clutch moments and clippable feats of skill and talent.
Al things being equal, we can imagine a world where Doncic is the one to step in James’ shoes in the short-term. His global pulling power and talent make him the current best, whereas Webanyama will need time to grow into his role.
Long-term, the Frenchman has all of the necessary attributes to become the face of the NBA, but he will just need Doncic to warm the throne for him for a couple of years.
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(Doncic is the clutch King.)
Outside Shots
If, for whatever reason, Doncic and Wembanyama both fail to step into LeBron James’ cleats, here are three other players who could give it a good shot:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: He certainly has an eye-catching and memorable name, but aside from that he has stacks of talent too. The 26-year-old Canadian has been averaging above 30 points a game for some time now, but he has struggled to capture the public imagination.
Jayson Tatum: Good basketball players are never called something simple like Brian Smith or John Jones; they have to have a blockbuster name, which Jayson Tatum does. The Celtics forward is an incredible player, but injury has gotten in the way of his trajectory to stardom in recent years. He’ll need to overcome that if he is to become the league’s top player.
Anthony Edwards: The 23-year-old Timberwolves guard has time on his side and an insatiable attitude that is sure to propel him to the highest heights of the game. Whether he has the raw talent to rival a Doncic or a Wembanyama though, remains to be seen.
