Can Victor Wembanyama Become the Face of the NBA? A former NFL Running Back Isn’t Convinced.

Speaking on “Speakeasy,” a sports talk show on YouTube with more than 2.6 million subscribers, two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy shared his thoughts on the “face of the NBA” debate.

“To be the face of the league, you gotta be American,” he said. 

McCoy praised Wembanyama’s talent but argued that reliability and marketability matter just as much as performance when it comes to global stardom. 

“Wemby’s a great player…he’s one of my son’s favorites,” McCoy said. “But if I ask him to pick, ‘who do you want to be like,’ he ain’t going to say Wemby.”

Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman and centerpiece of the San Antonio Spurs, is in the midst of a breakout third NBA season. Already an All-Star, the 22-year-old is now in the conversation for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and a potential All-NBA selection.

Aside from personal achievements, Wembanyama has also helped launch the Spurs into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. 

However, McCoy raised doubts about whether on-court dominance necessarily converts into broad appeal among U.S. NBA fans. Citing sneaker sales and endorsement deals as barometers, he argued that Wembanyama’s marketability has yet to match that of established American stars.

McCoy doubled down on his point, saying that if you asked kids outside of San Antonio which sneakers they’d pick at the mall, their answer would probably be exactly what you expect.

“I guarantee you, 90% of them kids will not say, ‘Yo, go out there and give me the Wemby shoes,” McCoy said. 

The former running back broadened his argument, naming several international NBA stars, including Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as examples of elite players who, in his perspective, haven’t fully captured the mantle as the league’s biggest and most notable star. 

Despite MVP-caliber résumés and dominant performances, McCoy argued that those players still fall short of becoming the NBA’s central face, emphasizing that cultural connection plays a key role in mainstream popularity.

McCoy’s comments have already fueled debate among fans, especially in San Antonio, where Wembanyama has swiftly become a cornerstone of the franchise and a fan favorite. 

The identity of the “face of the NBA” remains uncertain, but for how long? Only time will tell.