Giannis Antetokounmpo Says Lakers' LeBron James Remains Face of NBA

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP and an NBA champion, but the Milwaukee Bucks star still thinks the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is the preeminent name in the league.

Asked by teammate Serge Ibaka whether he's the face of the NBA, Antetokounmpo said he believes he's one of the faces but that he's not the face.

"LeBron's still playing," he said (6:59 of the video below) on Ibaka's show How Hungry Are You?

Antetokounmpo also listed the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, Brooklyn Nets' Kevin Durant, Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokić, Dallas Mavericks' Luka Dončić and Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid as worthy competition based on their profiles.

To Giannis' point, James arguably remains in a class by himself into his 20th season.

Through the first half of the 2021-22 season, James had the highest-selling jersey in the league and stayed there through the second half of the campaign. That was despite the Lakers losing 49 games and missing the playoffs.

Los Angeles also got the second-most national television games when the NBA rolled out its 2022-23 schedule, which is owed partially to James' star power.

Sooner or later, LeBron will walk away from basketball. When that happens, Antetokounmpo is a natural candidate to succeed him as the NBA's biggest headliner.