Charles Barkley expressed sympathy for Victor Wembanyama after news emerged that the young star will miss the remainder of the season due to a medical condition. However, Barkley strongly disagrees with those labeling the San Antonio Spurs standout as the “face of the NBA.”
On Inside the NBA Thursday night, the conversation shifted to Wembanyama’s diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, a type of blood clot affecting his right shoulder. Barkley voiced his frustration at commentators referring to Wembanyama as the “face of the league.”
Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been prominently mentioned in media discussions, such as a New York Times headline stating, “Victor Wembanyama Prepares to Become ‘Genuine’ Face of the NBA,” and a Sports Business Journal article titled, “Wembanyama embraces becoming face of NBA ahead of Paris games.” Similar sentiments were echoed by the Washington Times, noting his potential to be the NBA’s new global face.
Despite the title being frequently bestowed upon him, Barkley suggested that Wembanyama has yet to truly earn it, stating, “You don’t give anybody the ‘face of the league.’” He drew comparisons to past legends, asserting that true superstars like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry claimed the title through their competitive spirit.
Barkley added, “That’s one of the problems we get with players not wanting to play in the All-Star Game. We’ve given them so much; they don’t have no respect for the history. You don’t give anybody the ‘face of the game.’ You take it.” To which host Ernie Johnson responded, “You don’t anoint them.”
Charles Barkley: “I saw some guys on another network the other day talking about face of the league. I was so annoyed… We’ve given them so much; they don’t have no respect for the history… You don’t give anybody the face of the game; you take it.”pic.twitter.com/Lz6CiEIz59
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 21, 2025
Shaquille O’Neal concurred with Barkley’s sentiments, stating that Wembanyama hasn’t yet earned that label and criticized the media for prematurely assigning it. “They will try to put somebody as the face of the league … but Chuck makes a great point. You have to go take it,” O’Neal said, emphasizing that while Wembanyama is being discussed, other young stars like Ja Morant and Luka Dončić are also vying for recognition.
Kenny Smith humorously mentioned that Anthony Edwards, known as “Ant-Man,” might also have his own ambitions regarding the title. In fact, during All-Star Media Day, when asked if he saw himself as a top candidate for the next “face of the league,” Edwards simply replied, “Not really,” adding, “That’s what they’ve got Wemby for.”
