The same hosts that brought us “What’s wrong with the NBA?” have turned the conversation this month to a new question: “Who will be the next face of the NBA?”

Responding to that question at All-Star weekend, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards took his name out of the hat and suggested French phenom Victor Wembanyama in his place. That didn’t sit right with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who claimed an international player could not represent basketball because it is an American sport.

In the news cycle that followed, sports analysts threw out everyone from Luka Dončić to Cooper Flagg to Jayson Tatum as alternate options for who could take over the NBA once LeBron James retires. The underlying goal of these debates is to find someone who is dazzling as an athlete and connects to the average fan.

But in the latest episode of his podcast, The Right Time with Bomani Jones, longtime sports commentator Bomani Jones weighed in on the conversation from a new angle. Jones argued that throughout NBA history, being “amazing” has been a far more important prerequisite for being the “face” of the league than being likable or approachable.

“I think the thing that we’re messing up in this discussion, though, is every time somebody talks about whether or not (Edwards) is the face of the league, it is largely based upon the fact that he is from America,” Jones said. “And we are going to need to get some of this xenophobia out of our hearts.”

For one, Jones believes foreign-born NBA stars face less of a language barrier nowadays. They are also simply the best athletes on the court most nights around the league — starting with the 7-foot-3 alien that is Wembanyama.

“These cats that come into the NBA from these other countries, they do the big thing, man. They speak good English,” Jones said. “To me, Anthony Edwards is correct. The face of the league is going to be Victor because what you need to be is amazing.”

By way of a counterexample, Jones addressed what might happen if Smith is correct. Suppose NBA fans dismiss a European player like Wembanyama or Dončić. In that case, the league might be headed toward a reality in which the person who is considered the face may not be among the top handful of best players.

As the game evolves and the talent pipeline behind James, Jones believes fans will naturally follow what amazes them.

“The idea that these cats from other countries can’t be it, I don’t see that,” Jones added. “I think as long as you’ve got a cat who can come here and communicate clearly with the fans, I just don’t think that’s going to be the holdup that it’s been previously.”

Another confusing angle of the current sentiment from some commentators is that many also insist white athletes are more naturally popular than Black athletes. Jones addressed this dynamic as well, arguing that being white or being liked by white people is not as important as it is made out to be.

Plenty of faces of the NBA, including Julius Erving or Allen Iverson, have risen above the pack without that quality. But once Michael Jordan came along and had unique appeal across all types of fans, Jones believes everyone pigeonholed the next generation.

“The big thing was, white people were not threatened by Michael Jordan … he was just that guy, and he had it,” Jones explained. “But what that meant was after that, every time we talked about a next Michael Jordan, we always had it be guys who bore that characteristic as much as anything else. The idea that they were middle-of-the-road in some ways.”

Looking ahead, Bomani Jones predicted the next face of the league would be identified by natural selection rather than an “anointment.” Of course, there’s a difference between representing the league and being embraced. Iverson, for instance, had plenty of detractors even as his fame grew and he made the NBA Finals.

Nobody knows exactly where the NBA is headed next, but that also means all bets are off as to the path toward finding the league’s next face.