Being the "face of the NBA" is an unofficial title in the sport, but still one that's highly valued. 

In short, being a face of the sport means that a player has that perfect mix or marketable, recognizable and successful so that people even passingly familiar with the sport, or maybe those who don't know anything about the NBA at all, can still recognize them. 

It's true celebrity status and it's often something deeper as well, assigned to those who have distinguished themselves in their generation of players and defined what their era of basketball looked or looks like. 

There's been a long line of "faces," from LeBron James and Steph Curry due to their success and historic battles in the playoffs to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal before them and even further back to Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in their respective decades. 

The NBA is a sport that produces stars and with the next generation of basketball firmly here, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is constantly looked like as one of the next "faces." He does have all of the aforementioned qualities that make up what a face of the NBA looks like and the question is often brought up to him. 

However, each time that Edwards is approached about the title, he denies any claim to it. During All-Star Weekend this past season, he pointed toward Victor Wembanyama, another young star who has rocketed his way into public consciousness, as the player who deserved the title.

He was asked again about being a face of the league during Fanatics Fest in New York City during an interview. In fact, he wasn't even asked if he was a face of the league, but rather was told that he was and was simply asked if he had "accepted it" yet. 

Decidedly, he has not, and he even laid out some of the criteria that he thinks defines what a face of the league is to explain both why he doesn't think he is one and who he thinks is. 

“I think the face of the league comes with a lot of responsibilities and I think one of those is winning a championship. I haven’t did that yet. Maybe Jalen Brunson or one of those guys," Edwards said (via NBA Courtside). 

It's a major sign of self-awareness from Edwards and gives a clear look into what his mindset and priorities are when it comes to his own career and the point that he makes in his argument regarding Brunson does make a lot of sense. 

Brunson may be a few years older than Edwards, but he is distinct within their shared generation of players and just catapulted his public image by leading the Knicks to their first championship in over 50 years and winning Finals MVP while he was at it. 

In the weeks since that championship, Brunson has appeared at WWE events, on morning and late night talkshows and even won Best Male Athlete at the ESPY's. 

Winning a championship is something legacy-defining for a player who's never done it and Edwards knows that. Before he's ready to accept any kind of fan-bestowed honor, he wants to prove himself as a winner first.