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Why Luka Doncic deserves to be the face of the NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Why Luka Doncic deserves to be the face of the NBA

By Nicholas Boonstra | Last updated Nov 2, 2026 12:35 PM ET

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The National Basketball Association is still stuck in its "Parity Era," and it has left fans hungry for a dynasty for almost a decade now.

But while the league was busy handing trophies to eight separate teams over the last eight seasons, another familiar fixture also faded from the basketball landscape: a clear "Face of the League," a player that stands above the rest and represents the game by himself – a title that is both informal in its definition and undeniable among hoops fans everywhere.

Most recently, LeBron James, perhaps jointly with his rival Steph Curry, held the distinction, but both players are now managing their aging bodies as their careers near an end. Before them, Kobe Bryant immortalized his name in the basketball pantheon, taking the baton from Michael Jordan before him, with the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in turn coming before him.

Plenty of candidates for the title have been put forward in recent years, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Nikola Jokic to now Victor Wembanyama and others. But there is one name that is becoming increasingly harder to deny, and he might just be ready to solidify his status as the Face of the League for years to come.

All signs point to Luka Doncic

Fresh off a staggering performance against the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Luka Doncic is making a stronger case than ever to be the NBA's next Face of the League. The six-time All-NBA First Team selection stunned the Crypto.com Arena crowd with 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, and five steals to lead his team to a 131-125 win over the representatives from the North.

LUKA DONČIĆ SET NEW RECORDS LAST NIGHT! 45 PTS 15 REB 6 AST 5 STL 8 3PM Dončić scored a game-high 45 PTS and became the first player in NBA history to reach 15+ REB, 5+ AST, 5+ STL, and 5+ 3PM in a single game! https://t.co/uitEe13Dpt
— NBA (@NBA) November 2, 2026

Doncic already has two NBA Scoring Titles to his name, including last year's, and his 37.7 points per game is the best mark in the league by far two weeks into the new season.

Needless to say, this isn't some coming-out party for the Slovenian. Doncic has already taken one trip to the Finals, with a Dallas Mavericks team that hardly featured any other big names aside from an older Kyrie Irving. There is a legitimate case to be made that Doncic was the best individual player in that 2024 series against the Boston Celtics – his 29.2 points per game led both teams, well ahead of Finals MVP Jaylen Brown's 20.8.

Now that this Lakers roster is well and truly built around him, Doncic looks set to thrive for years to come as the superstar player for the NBA's superstar franchise, a strong foundation for any case to be the undisputed Face of the League.

Not the easiest path forward

However, there are some considerable roadblocks standing in his way.

Crucially, Doncic does not yet have a ring to his name. Players like Jordan, Bryant, and James have their names etched in the history books precisely because they were so successful when it mattered most. Winning championships isn't the only factor in the Face of the League conversation – just ask Tim Duncan – but a failure to win can easily be disqualifying by itself.

And the competition Doncic has to face in this era is steep. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning back-to-back MVP and looks determined to make it three in a row, while Wemby already has many convinced that he is the best player in the world well ahead of schedule. Whichever one can break the Parity Era curse should be most likely to represent this current chapter of basketball when the time comes to look back.

The budding NBA season has already brought more surprises than anyone has seen in a while, and it doesn't look like stopping anytime soon. But a legacy season from Doncic, up to and including an MVP case and even a title charge, could end up being the least surprising outcome of all.

Nicholas Boonstra

Nick Boonstra is a sports journalist who previously worked as the in-house Staff Writer for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. A lifelong Bay Stater, Nick has been a fan of the Celtics and the Red Sox since birth and, at times less enjoyably, of West Ham United Football Club since high school. Apart from sports writing, Nick has had some unforgettable experiences as a rideshare driver in Boston that are best left for another time

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