When LeBron James exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025–26 season, it immediately sparked conversations across the basketball world. Many analysts began speculating about his future.
Would he finish his career in Los Angeles? Or would he retire soon? While those retirement rumors still remain unanswered, his longtime agent, Rich Paul, has recently addressed another major question. It is that who will become the face of the NBA once James eventually walks away.
Rich Paul’s Latest Prediction Regarding the NBA
During a recent appearance on the “Game Over” podcast, Paul shared an honest and realistic view. Instead of naming a single superstar as James’ successor, he explained that the league’s future will likely be represented by a collective group of players rather than a single individual.
“When I look at the league today, talent-wise, there are a number of guys you could say could probably be the face… I think it’ll be a collective of players just like it was when Michael left in 1998. I don’t think it was one person… You had Iverson, Vince, T Mac, Kobe, and Shaq. There were storylines with all of them as a collective,” Paul said during the podcast.
Rich Paul believes when LeBron retires, there will be a few ‘faces of the NBA’ just like when MJ retired in 98:
“When I look at the league today, talent wise there’s a number of guys you could say could probably be the face… I think it’ll be a collective of players just like it… pic.twitter.com/38TJAgZcrC
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 18, 2026
There is no doubt that James has solidified himself as the face of the NBA over the past two decades. After all, he is referred to as the “King” in the league for a reason.
If we see that he entered the league straight out of high school as the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft, and debuted in October of that year. He then won back-to-back championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. He also delivered a historic comeback title with Cleveland in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors and later added another championship with the Lakers in 2020.
However, Paul is right in his verdict that today’s NBA does not have just one clear successor. Instead, several young superstars are stepping up and making their mark.
One of the biggest names leading this new era is Luka Dončić. He is currently averaging 32.8 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game and has helped the Lakers to have a 33–21 record this season.
Earlier this month, in a game against the New York Knicks, Dončić recorded a great performance of 35 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists, and in doing so, he set a Lakers franchise record for the most 30-point, five-rebound, five-assist games in a single season. This proved his ability to deliver at the highest level.
Another major name in this conversation is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game while also helping his team have a 42–14 record.
In December, during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, he scored 32 points in just 29 minutes. That performance helped him set a new NBA record for the most 30-point games in under 30 minutes during a single season. That performance highlighted his efficiency.
Apart from Dončić and Gilgeous-Alexander, the league continues to see rising influence from other stars like Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić.
Now, because of this depth of talent, Paul’s prediction makes perfect sense. The NBA is no longer built around just one central figure. Instead, it is driven by an elite group of players who collectively define the league’s identity.
