RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from CBS Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
When you think of the NBA, who is the first player that comes to mind? One superstar in particular has been in the news quite a bit lately, so I wouldn't blame you if LeBron James was your answer. But it's not just that he has been the biggest headline-grabber of the offseason. This is basketball's all-time leading scorer we're talking about.
James is the face of the NBA and will be for however long he remains active. His agent, Rich Paul , hinted toward more than just one more year before retirement, by the way. Will it be two years with the 76ers for King James? Three? Four?
Some of the other biggest names in basketball are also in the latter stages of their careers, like Stephen Curry , whom the Warriors seem content to let close out his playing days without contending for another title .
When those guys move on, who will become the most synonymous with the NBA? We constructed a short list in the latest edition of the Face of the NBA Rankings . And John Gonzalez says that Victor Wembanyama has next.
If not Wemby, then who? Perhaps these stars will take the leap:
The Super Bowl champion is not crowned in the preseason. Any number of things could happen between now and February to throw the perceived frontrunners off course, so don't chalk it up as a championship year for the Rams just yet. Their biggest challengers all have red flags, too . Who's to say that the worst-case scenario won't play out for any of them?
Look at the Ravens , for instance. They carry the second-best odds to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but there is a very large elephant in the room when it comes to their quarterback. That is, he does not often stay healthy for a full season. Our Jared Dubin explains why Lamar Jackson's health is the biggest red flag in Baltimore.
Staying healthy is a major challenge in a 17-game season. It is a universal issue that all 32 teams must contend with. There are also some team-specific deficiencies that could stand between the greatest contenders and the Super Bowl, too. Here are a few of them:
⚾ Yankees at White Sox, 2:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Cubs at Cardinals, 2:15 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⛳ Rocket Classic: First round, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Nationals at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Red Sox at Athletics, 9:40 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Liberty at Aces, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ Mariners at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.