Successor to Zhanku? Morant admits he has no interest in being the face of the league and wants to be the best version of himself

Translator's Note: The original article was published in The Athletic. The data in the article are as of the time of the original article (October 28, local time). The dates and times involved are all local time.

SAN FRANCISCO - While the rest of the NBA is curious about which player can finally take over the heavy responsibility that LeBron James and Stephen Curry have shouldered as the face of the league for many years, there is one person who is regarded as the league's future torchbearer, but he has no desire for this role. He is Ja Morant.

"I never really thought about it," Morant said in an interview with The Athletic before Monday's game against the Warriors. However, the 26-year-old said that while he has heard discussions about the future of the league, that is not a role he wants to play.

"There's a lot that comes with this role," Morant said. "I play basketball for the love of the game, not to be the face of the NBA. Obviously, I hear that a lot. I don't put any pressure on myself. I just play basketball. Play my own game on the court. I am discussed by people just because of my performance on the court. Obviously, people have their own opinions, but I really don’t care.”

Morant entered the NBA out of nowhere, when he was selected by the Grizzlies with the second pick. Morant was subsequently elected Rookie of the Year, and quickly won the respect of his peers across the league with his court performance and athletic ability, and was selected to the All-Stars in 2022 and 2023. However, a series of off-court incidents, suspensions and injuries hampered Morant's trajectory early in his career.

In March 2023, the NBA suspended Morant for eight games because of his behavior that damaged the image of the league-after he showed a pistol in a nightclub in an Instagram live video. At the start of the 2023-24 season, he was suspended for another 25 games, again for behavior that tarnished the league's image - after another video of him holding a gun appeared on social media.

Morant's image and popularity took a hit as a result of these suspensions, and talk of him becoming the face of the league died down. Despite these incidents and injury setbacks, Morant's peers still view him as one of the league's brightest stars. Curry even mentioned Morant by name, while noting that he doesn't pay much attention to discussions about the league's "next face" because the NBA can always find its own next face.

"That kind of thing will work itself out," Curry recently told The Athletic said in an interview, "I hope this group of players can have the momentum to become a great spokesperson for this game. No matter who this group of people is, you can obviously point out those names, such as Ja (Morant), Ant (Anthony Edwards), Luka (Doncic), Wemby (Victor Vunbanyama), Shea (Gergis-Alexander) and J T (Jayson Tatum) and so on, but I won't dwell on it because when I first came into the league, there was never this discussion. It's not until you get to the Finals that other people start talking about it."

For his part, Morant seems to genuinely appreciate the praise from peers like Curry and Rockets star Kevin Durant, who have said in the past that Morant's game means a lot to the league.

"I think this means far more to me than other people's evaluations," Morant said. "Those guys are all historical great players and will definitely be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future. This is more respect from my peers and recognition of my efforts, but it is not the end."

Specific to Monday's showdown, Morant admitted that he has always enjoyed playing against Curry and the Warriors, because playing against Curry is full of challenges. He respects the 37-year-old guard very much, and he has faced off enough times to witness the evolution of Curry's game.

"Everyone has seen how Steph's style of play has evolved into what it is now," Morant said. "He was very young when he entered the league and he could shoot. But as he has played for many years and gained more experience, he has gradually controlled the rhythm of the game. Now he plays so easily that you can only try to make every shot he takes. Make it difficult and pray he doesn't make it. I enjoy the matchups between us the most because they're obviously the upper hand right now, but I love these matchups." So if Morant doesn't want to be the face of the league like Curry, what's his goal in the next few years?

"I just want to be the best version of myself." He said.

What will it look like on the court?

"We don't know yet," he replied.

One thing that is clear from Morant's answer is that his confidence in his game does not seem to be shaken. He knows he can still be a great player regardless of the pressure of being at the top.

"I can't be perfect on the court," Morant said, "so there's always room for improvement."

Author: Nick Friedell

Translator: GWayNe