Charles Barkley frustrated by Victor Wembanyama’s ‘face of the league’ label

Charles Barkley isn’t ready to label San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama as the “face of the league” just yet. The NBA Hall of Famer believes that titles like that are earned through hard work and success.

Barkley made it clear that Wembanyama has not yet reached that level. He brought up the topic during TNT’s “Tip-Off” show on Thursday night, revealing that he’s been “annoyed” by the talk of the young French basketball player being considered the “face of the league.”

“I saw some guys on another network the other day talking about the ‘face of the league,’ and I was so annoyed,” he said. He went on to explain his view, “You don’t give anybody ‘the face of the game,’ you take it.”

Wembanyama, who was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, had been seen as the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year until it was announced on Thursday that he would likely miss the rest of the regular season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.

Before the injury, he had been averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.7 assists. Additionally, he became the first player in NBA history to attempt 403 3-pointers and block 176 shots in a single season – a feat he achieved before the All-Star break.

In response to the debate about who should be considered the “face of the league,” Barkley made his stance clear to his co-host and fellow Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal. “First of all, you don’t give anybody ‘the face of the league.’ Am I right, Shaq?” Barkley asked.

He continued, “Shaq took being [face of the league]. When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird came in, they were like, ‘We’re the new sheriffs in town.’ Shaq took it, Kobe Bryant took it, LeBron James took it, and Steph Curry took it.”