The NBA is quickly inching towards the start of the 2025-26 regular season. Despite that, there is still no definitive replacement for LeBron James as the new face of basketball. Could that mantle fall to his very own Los Angeles Lakers teammate?
There is a lot working in the favor of Luka Doncic heading into the brand-new campaign. For starters, Doncic has the opportunity to play out a redemption arc so good that even Hollywood scriptwriters could not have cooked up a better one.
Him being discarded by the Dallas Mavericks in 2024-25, and coming back as the best version of himself would make him more of a fan favorite than he already is. That kind of likability makes him an easy player to market to basketball fans all over the globe.
After a dominant run at EuroBasket 2025, there is an immediate notion that if anyone is going to challenge Nikola Jokic for the title of best player in the world, it will be Doncic. Accomplishing that ascension on a stage like Los Angeles makes it so much easier for the Lakers superstar to get the attention he deserves and finally become the player who takes the crown from King James.
Luka Doncic primed to claim NBA throne as Lakers’ centerpiece
The NBA's story has revolved around LeBron pretty much since he entered the league straight out of high school. For whatever reason, whether it be James' unprecedented longevity or otherwise, the league has not rushed to find a new face for their sport.
Perhaps it was a good thing they did not hurry that decision. Everything that has happened in Doncic's career within the last calendar year offers the NBA a gift-wrapped, feel-good story for the public to come together and rally around.
Playing for the Lakers will be a bit of a double-edged sword. For as many people that are out there who love the team, there are also a ton who despise them.
Still, Doncic just has an infectious energy and swagger with his playing style that should allow for those who do not love the purple and gold to get behind him anyways. It is difficult to not love someone who is willing to take on challenges, meet expectations, and let the opponent hear about it too. Unless you are the player on the receiving end of that.
Overachieving expectations would go a long way for Doncic's case too. Taking a storied franchise like the Lakers deep into the postseason, and perhaps even to a championship, would make the torch much easier to pass.
There are certainly other contenders lurking for the next face of the NBA. Victor Wembanyama immediately comes to mind. Anthony Edwards should present a strong challenger too. However, Doncic just has so many built-in advantages that it may be too difficult, and foolish, to pass him up.