Brian Windhorst wonders if a non-American can become the face of the NBA

If Victor Wembanyama becomes the face of the NBA, he’ll be the first non-American-born player to carry that baton.

As Wembanyama leads the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg is ready to declare him the face of the NBA regardless of what happens against the New York Knicks over the next two weeks. And while Brian Windhorst agrees Wembanyama has qualities worthy of being considered the NBA’s biggest star, he doesn’t have one thing that every other face of the league had.

“The one thing is, he is not American. And so, we have never had a non-American face of the NBA that has kind of power,” Windhorst said. “That will be the big test, if he wins, is can you be that type of global icon in America when you’re not an American?”

Last year, Stephen A. Smith claimed the face of the NBA has to be an American-born player. “I don’t believe an international player can be the face of the NBA,” Smith said during a February 2025 episode of First Take. “I know they’re global iconic figures; their popularity extends globally. But the NBA is an American-born sport. And it needs to resonate in America. And if it doesn’t resonate in America, then it’s not gonna matter to America how you resonate beyond.”

To be clear, Windhorst was not saying an international player can’t be the face of the NBA. He was just highlighting the fact that is has not happened yet. And he’s right, we haven’t seen an international player take the baton as the face of the league in the NBA. Whether it was Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Jerry West or Wilt Chamberlain, there has never been an international player as the face of the NBA. We’ve seen international players be embraced in the NBA. But Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo were never the face of the league.

We’re seeing it right now with America’s pastime, however, where Shohei Ohtani is the undisputed face of Major League Baseball. He might even be the biggest star in MLB history because he is an influencer. He influences the sport, the teams, the players, and the fans. And that’s what we’re seeing with Wembanyama. Victor Wembanyama is already proving he has influence domestically and globally. He’s dominant, he’s charismatic, he’s vulnerable, and he cares. Wembanyama cares about the sport and about winning.

We’ve never seen an international player become the face of the NBA. But we’ve never seen a 7-foot-4 player who can defy traditional positions and transcend the game quite like Wembanyama can either.