NBA’s Biggest Superstars Must Shine to Grab Top Billing

The roster jumping that took place in the NBA’s offseason likely had the fans bouncing around like a pregame shootaround.

And as the upcoming season approaches, who is going to be the player to top the marquee whenever his team is action? Who will get casual fans wanting to move from the couch to the arena to witness his on-court exploits? And, who’s the one who is likely to do it while enjoying success?

Four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion LeBron James has left Los Angeles and is in Philadelphia, where he joins Jaylen Brown and a highly touted roster that figures to make a strong playoff run. He immediately comes to mind.

Luka Doncic is the lone roster nugget on a usually glittery Los Angeles Lakers squad that has as many doubts as it does new players. Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is a fan magnet who will be looking to rebound after losing in the finals last season, and there are players such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Brunson, Cooper Flagg, and others who can attract the public but don’t always make the flashy plays.

So, who is the league’s icon this season?

“I think Victor Wembanyama is the NBA’s biggest draw entering the 2026–2027 season, but LeBron James remains its biggest celebrity and Luka Doncic might have the biggest platform, playing for the Lakers. Those are three different things, and I think that distinction is important,” said Arash Markazi, founder and CEO of online Los Angeles-based outlet The Sporting Tribune.

Markazi, who has covered big-time sports for 20 years, is confident that Doncic is a major draw, but said the diversity of fandom is a factor.

“Ultimately, I think the NBA’s biggest draw depends on what you’re looking for. If you want to see something you’ve never seen before, it’s Wembanyama,” Markazi told The Epoch Times via email. “If you want to witness history, it’s LeBron. If you want entertainment and drama on the league’s biggest stage, it’s Luka. And if you want to watch someone who has already changed the way an entire generation plays basketball, it’s [the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen] Curry.”

There are other stars who can raise their stock with MVP-caliber performances over the course of the season. Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder (a two-time league MVP), Giannis Antetokounmpo, another two-time MVP who went to the Miami Heat from the Milwaukee Bucks in an offseason trade, Finals MVP Brunson of the reigning champion New York Knicks, and second-year star Flagg of the Mavericks are also going to draw looks from even casual fans. And there’s also Anthony Edwards, who has been the main man for the Minnesota Timberwolves the past six seasons.

Markazi said that the next tier of stars has some work to do before reaching James’s height of must-see interest.

“As for SGA, Flagg, and Brunson, they’re elite talents, but they haven’t quite reached that same level of universal, star-power appeal that moves the needle for the average fan just yet,” he said.

Markazi’s outlet focuses on Los Angeles and other West Coast-based sports teams.

He spent enough time covering James, who turns 42 in December, to know that Philly has switched its process of pursuing a title.

“LeBron joining Philadelphia is arguably the biggest storyline entering the season. Even at this stage of his career, he’s still LeBron James. He’s one of the few athletes in the world who transcends his sport,” Markazi said. “The possibility of watching him make one more championship run, particularly in a new uniform, gives every Sixers game a sense of history. You’re not just watching a basketball game. You’re watching the final chapters of one of the greatest careers in sports history. That has enormous appeal, even to casual fans.”

There won’t be a way to fairly quantify who is truly at the top of the marquee. Each market is its own entity, and jersey and ticket sales combined with TV viewership data don’t always provide a true representation of total fandom.

Those looking to join friends at watering holes and young children emulating stars on the blacktop courts don’t get counted in those numbers.

Either way, it’s nearly impossible to argue against James, whom NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had to urge to hasten his decision in free agency so the league could put the final touches on this season’s schedule.

But Markazi settled on the French phenom as the man to watch because of his grand stature.

“What makes Wembanyama special is that he’s appointment viewing regardless of who the Spurs are playing. We’ve never seen someone his size do the things he does on a basketball court. He’s not just a great player. He’s a spectacle,” Markazi said.

“Fans want to see something they’ve never seen before, and Wembanyama gives them that possibility every night. After last season, he’s also moving beyond being a curiosity and becoming one of the faces of the league. I think he has the potential to become the NBA’s biggest global attraction for the next decade.”