Rockets' Jeff Green Gives Thoughts on 'Face of the League' Conversation

Over the last handful of years, we’ve seen the league embark on a quest to identify their next brand, from a player’s perspective. Or face of the league, although emblem is probably an easier way to coin it.

LeBron James has been the face of the league for 23 years, and still is, even at age 41-years-old. His time is dwindling. Father Time knows no losses, although James has come the closest to defeating it.

There are several other options, but it all boils down to marketability, which isn’t just limited to on-court success. If that were the case, it would be easy to identify the next icon.

Off-the-court behavior also plays a very large part in the marketability, which is not just limited to being a law-abiding citizen. Which is part of what’s made James so unique and easy to market and brand.

That facet has also ruled out many players from receiving the passing of the torch from James. Stephen Curry would be perfect for the league’s next main advertising draw, if not for the fact that he and James encompass the same era. Same for Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant.

If only those two had entered the NBA a decade ago. Anthony Edwards has stated that he doesn’t want to wear the crown and it’s probably for the better, as he’d fall in the off-court bucket.

Nikola Jokic would be a great choice, but he’s not necessarily a marketable personality and he hasn’t expressed interest in taking on the honors either. Rockets forward Jeff Green, who has been around the league for the better part of two decades, has a rather simplistic and fair approach as it pertains to identifying the league’s next emblem.

Green did an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson and shared his thoughts on NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s ongoing dilemma.

“They just need to let it happen organically instead of trying to pick and choose — like, we never really said that this guy was the face of the league, it happened organically. So I think if we let that happen, then it’ll happen when it is supposed to. Man, I think that it’s headlines for people to have an opinion on something.”

Green also shared his thoughts on the debate regarding the league’s greatest player of all time, which generally resorts to either the aforementioned Michael Jordan or LeBron James.

“It’s a personal opinion to whomever you’re talking to. Everybody has their favorites and everybody has someone who they like better than the other person and they’re going to say the other person so it’s an opinion based question so, just leave it alone.”

Green has transitioned into a veteran role for the Rockets over the course of the last three years, operating as more of a player’s coach and staple in the locker room and on the bench. He holds career averages of 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 45 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from three and 80.4 percent from the foul line.