JJ Redick addresses the FACE OF THE NBA to Stephen A. & Shannon Sharpe | First Take

JJ Redick addresses the FACE OF THE NBA to Stephen A. & Shannon Sharpe | First Take

Who do you feel like will be the face of the NBA post that era when we’re talking the guys like LeBron KD Steph yeah it’s interesting you know we we talked about this on our podcast with Tim legler and and Richard Jefferson two other ESPN people uh at the beginning of the season

And and this time is approaching where Steph and LeBron they’re not going to be here forever they’re not going to be playing at this level forever it is interesting because I read all the players comments over the weekend because they were all asked about it they all talked about it has to be

Organic like we can’t choose who the next face of the league is it has to be organic and and a lot of times I would say most of the time it comes with winning it comes with winning a championship Kobe became the face of the league because he won MJ became the face

Of the league because he won magic Larry they won that’s why they were the face of the league the other point about this that I think is important because Stephen A has touched on this many times in the past you have to want to be the face of the league

I you know I I had some issues with your comments last year Stephen about kawhai being the worst superstar ever kawhai doesn’t want to be the face of the league he’s a two-time Finals MVP joic doesn’t want to be famous joic doesn’t want to be the face of the league so

When you start looking at well which guys could be the face of the league in terms of American players I I think it’s Tyrese halberton I think it’s Jason Tatum I certainly think it’s Anthony Edwards it could be someone else but there has to be I think the embrace

Of being a face of the league there has to be the personality the dynamic nature of the player and the person to become the face of League none of us thought Steph Curry in 2008 2009 was going to eventually become the face of the league but he is we can’t predict these things

My question actually for both of you guys because we’ve had five straight MVPs that are all internationally born right and if you look at the MVP race this year it’s the same situation right it’s Luke it’s Shay it’s uh embiid or embiid before got hurt it’s Giannis it’s joic

Again right is it bad for the league that the best players are internationally born I would say to you no it’s not bad for the league if the best players are internationally born it is bad for the league if the American players give you the impression that they don’t want it that they’re

Indifferent to embracing the responsibility of being the face of the league that’s what’s bad okay now if you’re just not good enough you’re not good enough in in other words compared to yic compared to Giannis compared to Luca if they’re just better and that’s why that one of them become the face

Then no problem whatsoever but if they’re the face because not only do they perform but they have that appeal that Allure and they care about being the Marquee and you can see that they’re more apt to embrace it than the players themselves that are American Born then

We’ve got a problem because what the hell has happened to us as a sport particularly since this is an American Born sport obviously you have a vast majority of the players particularly of African-American descent and nobody wants it that would be problematic for me personally and Shannon just to to to

Make sure we we illuminate what we were talking about when when when I when I went after kawh Leonard last year and JJ had an issue with that I called kawh Leonard the worst Superstar you could possibly have not because of his skill set I know how great he is but because

He does nothing to market the sport per se and JJ wanted me he he pressed me about that because initially we were talking about his injury and and all of this other stuff and I was like no no I’m not question we worked through itan we worked through it we work through Eon

And IV eony and ivory baby eony and ivory that’s what it is but but but in the end to answer this question who’ll be you know the identity of the NBA and the post LeBron era I like Ant-Man I was disappointed with him JJ this weekend

Only in this sense you go out there you shooting the ball left-handed you playing around and stuff like that I know you were playing around then you got these quotes about how it’s an off it’s supposed to be an off time an off weekend you know no the reality is is

That when you talk about marketing the sport and being a face and being a headliner and being a marquee those things come with it where you seize a moment you’re surrounded by the best in the world the best players in the world and you want to do everything you can to

Show that you are the person on the come up like Michael Jordan with with magic and bird when he said fellas is a new sheriff in town he wanted to send a message and that’s what America and that’s what the basketball World wants to see from that face of the NBA they

Want to see somebody that’s coming along and saying I want it this is what I want this is what I’m going for and I want it bad that’s what you want to see and I think that Ant-Man has the ability to do that even though he let me down this

Weekend I think both of you guys make very very good points very interesting points I think the thing is that when we saw magic and bird we saw the next guy was going to be Michael Jordan there was no if saying of buts about it we knew

Who it was going to be and when Jordan started to leave we saw it was going to be Kobe Bryant and then we saw LeBron James but what we also saw we saw a guy that had won winning championships MVPs but we also saw a guy that was going to

Be here for the next 10 years and I think the thing is you’re absolutely right Steph and KD not going to be around for another 10 years so those guys are going to start to exit stage left short let me Lebron probably the next two years Steph the next four or

Five years KD same thing as that but the question that I have for you guys who has won enough who has MVPs who has championships that we can say okay he’s ready to ascend to that throne and like you said guys what American player has that is there an

American player outside of Kevin Durant outside of LeBron and Steph now we know James Harden but he’s going to be a leing so he’s not going to be it we know Russ but who’s the other American born players that have won championships that has MVPs that we can put in that spot

Nobody it’s just it’s just it’s literally just Kawai it’s just Kaw it’s literally just Ka just Kawai but but but as you said kawhai doesn’t want that responsibility but St I think you can answer this better than JJ and I what about relationship status magic and ber

Was married LeBron was in a relationship with Savannah how do we look at that because when we look at presidential candidates we look at candidates we want them to be secure we want them to be foundational pieces are you taking the Celtics or the fields right now to win

These the Celtics um I’ve said it from the very beginning of this season and I stand by it right now they’re the best team in basketball they’ve got a four game advantage over over the Minnesota Timberwolves a six-game advantage in the East over the Cleveland Cavaliers they’ve been they’ve they ended the

First half of the Season or the allar before the All-Star Break by win and six straight right now they’re number one in offensive efficiency number three in defensive efficiency net rating they’re first and that well outscoring opponents by 10.3 points per 100 possessions I’m looking at them right now and I’m saying

Excuse me I’m saying this about the Boston Celtics and JJ I’m not even happy with them because I think they jack up too many damn threes I think it’s like 43 4 7.3% they lead the league in three-point rate that’s how much they’re jacking up three-point shots for crying out loud I

Think they need to cut that down just a touch and still I’m looking at their personnel I’m looking at porzingis I’m looking at Orford coming off the bench I’m looking at White and Holliday is defensive Wizards in the back court I’m looking at Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum

And I’m saying to myself my goodness they’ve got athleticism they’ve got perimeter shooting they defend they can put up buckets they’ve got a star and and a superstar on their squad together I’m looking at the Boston Celtics and I’m saying who can I definitively look

At in the East and say you know what they can take them you know I’m loving my Nicks right now orange and blue skies baby orange and blue skies but I am not I’m I don’t need to get drug tested by saying that I think they’re going to

Beat the Celtics the Celtics are the favorites against everybody and by the way just as a reminder that game seven in Miami after they overcame an 03 deficit one three games in game seven and Jason Tatum got hurt easy in Boston they got hurt in game seven it was in

Boston right the bottom line is this we all looked at it and we said damn we kind of wanted Boston simply because we thought Miami was undersized going up against Denver and we knew what the outcome would be obviously we would have felt a little bit differently had that

Been Boston going against Denver instead of Miami this is what I’m looking at right now Boston’s knocking on the door I think Boston’s the best team in basketball I’m going with the Celtics not the field before I before I go into my point Stephen ajj can we stop can can

Y stop pretending oh I’ve had four coaches in a year because you wanted them all gone you wanted Jason kid gone you wanted Bud gone you wanted Adrien Griffin gone so please stop this notion talking about I different system they want you to do different things different game plans he want J Shannon

Shannon do you feel like he’s kind of playing the victim right now he didn’t I’m telling you what he didn’t want going yes yes for the simple fact is he’s a super super duper Star and they’ll do anything they can to keep him they haven’t had a player like him since

One Kareem Abdul Jabar and he ended up leaving going to La the last thing you want to do is to have your two best players they be unhappy and they leave they exit stage and so they’re going to do everything so he didn’t want bud gone

Let me ask you a question did he want bud gone yeah St I listen I’m not g JJ’s better equipped to answer that question than me I will tell you this Mike buen hoser was a hell of a coach I think that he went through a lot

Personally over the last year and it was a lot that was wearing on him and he wasn’t the same person I don’t think anybody looked at him and questioned his coaching ability he wasn’t the same person but he definitely wanted Adrien Griffin and then he didn’t want him that is

True okay D again look here this is what we know about the uh Milwaukee Bucks the Milwaukee Bucks would have given jiannis anything he wanted even a part of Harley-Davidson and they don’t even own any part of Harley-Davidson but they would have gave him that to keep him

Happy not to your point Stephen A you make great compelling points the Celtics has looked like the best team and now with Joel embiid being hurt I don’t really see a team that’s been consistent enough I did hear Shaq tell Dam Lillard said look if this thing goes sideways

You Doc and uh uh Giannis is going to take the blame you need to go back grab somebody the throat and say this is what I need from you and I think that is the only team right now that I look at that could cause them some problem they do

Have two top 12 players Giannis is one of the top two or three players in all the league and we know what Dame can do but right now they’re underperforming Doc is underperforming coaching three and seven in the last 10 games so unfortunately Stephen A with with uh

Joel and Eden being hurt as much as I want to take the field I don’t believe Cleveland can beat Boston in a seven game series I definitely don’t believe your Nick because uh uh uh divido is going to be ran those guys in the ground

They going to be on fumes by the time the first round let alone get to a second round of Easter conf by the way before before JJ you jump in that game’s uh Celtics are at next Saturday on ABC JJ will be calling that game that’ll be

A good one right okay first first game with Mike and Doris and Lisa excited about that and I’ll be there JJ all right as a fan yeah as a fan love it I don’t need to be at that game the crew isn’t back yet Randle Robinson on the

Noi when everybody get back I’ll be there okay cuz I’m there so you’re trying to act like it’s not a big deal the crew is not there a big deal that you’re there miss it’s not a big deal you Ain no Nick fan

On First Take, Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe and JJ Redick join Molly Qerim to talk about the biggest storylines in the NBA.
0:00 JJ’s absolutely taking the Boston Celtics?
3:00 Stephen A. chimes in
6:15 Faces of the league have not been perfect?
8:00 “It happens organically”

#ESPN #FirstTake

✔️Subscribe to ESPN+ http://espnplus.com/youtube
✔️ Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
✔️Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
✔️ Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoNBAonESPN
✔️ Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV