Jayson Tatum will inherit massive burden after LeBron James retires, says former NBA All-Star

With LeBron James nearing the final stretch of his NBA career, the conversation has increasingly turned to who will be the league’s next central figure. But one former player also pointed out the heavy burden that the Los Angeles Lakers star will leave behind—one that could fall squarely on the shoulders of Jayson Tatum.

“When Bron’s gone and they done whooping his (expletive) and all that… You next,” Gilbert Arenas said on his podcast Gil’s Arena, referring to Tatum as the player most likely to command major media attention. “Because that’s where the ratings gonna be.”

Arenas explained that Jayson fits the profile of the kind of superstar the media tends to elevate—and often scrutinize. “The only person who is at that level, that they can sit there and talk (expletive) about,” he said.

“At this moment in time, there is nobody the NBA media actually hates or wants to go against for ratings. They’re not going to go against Wemby (Victor Wembanyama), they’re not going against Steph (Curry). They’re not going against these young guys,” said the three-time NBA All-Star with the Washington Wizards.

Gilbert Arenas #0 of the Washington Wizards hanldles the ball during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns on December 19, 2009.

Arenas believes Tatum will have a major role in the NBA

Gilbert Arenas’ reasoning is rooted in the idea that the media will need a new NBA superstar to focus on once LeBron James walks away from the game. And Jayson Tatum seems to check all the boxes to take on that role.

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The forward is undeniably one of the league’s brightest stars, playing for a high-profile, high-pressure franchise in Boston. Still, there are a few aspects critics latch onto when it comes to Tatum—like not being named Finals MVP in last season’s title run or his limited participation with Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“Anybody that they say it’s the next Michael Jordan, is who gets the hate,” Arenas explained. When asked by his co-hosts who filled that role before LeBron James, he didn’t hesitate: “Kobe (Bryant). Whoever gets close to the crown.”

Arenas weighs in on Tatum as the NBA’s next face

For months, the debate has centered on who will step into the role of the NBA’s face—not just replacing LeBron James, but also Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, once their careers are over. Many point to names like Victor Wembanyama or Anthony Edwards, but Jayson Tatum is firmly in that conversation as well.

Gilbert Arenas had already made his position clear when asked who would succeed LeBron James in that spotlight. “Jayson Tatum is the face of the league,” he said a few weeks ago. “When you talk about him negative, compared to his actual resume… He is the face because we pretend his resume is not his resume. So, we want tear him down.”