The Race to Succeed LeBron and Curry: Who Will Become the NBA’s Next Central Star?
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With LeBron James turning 40 and Stephen Curry now 37, the NBA is preparing for its next era of marquee talent. An ESPN analysis published on Aug. 15, 2025 examines which active players appear best positioned to assume the league’s top spotlight once the current icons exit center stage.
The discussion gained momentum after Luka Doncic finished the 2024-25 season with the NBA’s best-selling jersey, ending an 11-year run in which either James or Curry held that distinction. Social-media metrics reinforce their enduring popularity—James and Curry remained the two most-watched figures across league platforms last season—yet executives, coaches and scouts are already weighing who could capture similar attention in the near future.
Roadmap 1: Predestined Superstar
Victor Wembanyama mirrors the early narrative once attached to James, having entered the 2023 draft as the most celebrated prospect in two decades. Through two seasons with San Antonio, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman has validated that hype with elite skill, relentless preparation and wide-ranging off-court interests. Sixteen of 20 league insiders recently told ESPN they expect him to be the NBA’s best player by 2030. Challenges remain: no center has truly fronted the league since the 1960s, and no international player has ever dominated U.S. popularity to the same extent. Even so, rival stars openly acknowledge him as the favorite; Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards quipped, “That’s what they got Wemby for,” when asked whether he viewed himself as the future face.
Roadmap 2: Dynamic Scoring Guard
Edwards headlines a cluster of explosive perimeter scorers who fit the mold of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. The 23-year-old led the NBA in made three-pointers last season while routinely attacking opposing big men at the rim. Eleven of 20 respondents in ESPN’s survey projected him to be the United States’ top player five years from now. Other names in this category include Oklahoma City wing Jalen Williams—already an All-NBA and All-Defensive selection by year three—and Kansas standout Darryn Peterson, the premier prospect in the 2026 draft.
Roadmap 3: Los Angeles Spotlight
History suggests the leading Laker often doubles as the league’s primary attraction, a path followed by Magic Johnson, Bryant and later James. Doncic, now 26, embodies that possibility. After a Finals appearance in Dallas, the Slovenian star arrived in Los Angeles via blockbuster trade and immediately topped the jersey-sales chart. Analysts believe a championship run in purple and gold could elevate him to unrivaled visibility.
Roadmap 4: Unforeseen Phenomenon
Curry’s rise from seldom-seen scorer to cultural icon offers a template for under-the-radar candidates. Zion Williamson and LaMelo Ball fit the profile: each dazzled as amateurs, each has battled injuries, and neither has reached the playoffs regularly. Williamson, entering his age-25 season, looked healthy in preseason workouts, while Ball continues to command one of the NBA’s largest Instagram followings among players under 27. A sudden surge in health and team success could vault either into the national conversation.
Roadmap 5: Rivalry-Driven Ascent
Bird vs. Johnson and James vs. Curry showed how enduring storylines can magnify individual stardom. Potential next-generation pairings include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander against Doncic or Edwards, and a possible long-term clash between recent top pick Cooper Flagg and Wembanyama. Flagg, who received five votes as the best American player in 2030 despite not yet appearing in an NBA game, could factor heavily if those matchups materialize in the playoffs or international tournaments.
While no single successor is locked in, executives agree the combination of elite production, compelling narrative and broad marketability will determine who ultimately inherits the league’s brightest spotlight once James and Curry step aside.
Source: ESPN
