The 2000s era of basketball has its own significance in NBA history. The 00s saw players like Michael Jordan bidding farewell to the game. Meanwhile, promising talents like LeBron James entered the scenario. Now, there aren’t too many players left in the league who were part of that era. And stars like Dwight Howard are questioning who will carry forward the legacy of the 90s and 00s.

“Whoever the next face of the league is got a lot of weight carry because our generation was cold,” Howard posted on X. The post also included a photo of multiple NBA stars who either debuted in the 2000s or were at their peak during that time. The photo featured animated pictures of Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.

Notably, all of these players have now retired except for LeBron James. Even Kobe Bryant had retired back in 2016, almost four years before the world suffered his tragic loss. And now even Bron is nearing 40 years of age. So, it is uncertain how long the King will be able to continue. In fact, sooner rather than later, he will also have to bid farewell to the game.

There are other big names like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Russel Westbrook who were a part of the previous generation as well. All of them are in their mid-30s as well and might retire soon enough. And it would be unfair to expect LeBron-like longevity from any other player. So, all eyes will be set on some younger names once the King retires.

Players who have the potential to be the next face of the NBA

While the 2000s era witnessed some dominant individual scorers with strong post-games and mid-range shooting, the 20s have seen more versatile players with well-rounded skill sets. So it is quite possible for fans to witness a new star in the making from the 20s era of the NBA.

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Some popular names in recent times have been Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum. However, Jokic is the only one of the three who has an NBA championship to his name so far. The Joker also became the only third player to record at least one triple-double against every team he has faced. Apart from him, only LeBron and Westbrook have achieved this feat in the past. So Jokic looks like the flag-bearer of his generation.

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Meanwhile, there are some fresh names like Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well who seem to have a promising future. But they will have to knock off the likes of Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to get to the top. Who do you think is most likely to become the next face of the NBA? Let us know your answer with your reasoning in the comments.

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