Merril Dubrow: Hi, my name is Merrill Dubrow, CEO of M/A/R/C research and a 35-plus-year veteran of the insights community and the host of our podcast, On the M/A/R/C. Welcome to another On the M/A/R/C Merrill-ISM. Who is the face of the NBA today? I had this debate, discussion with lots of buddies, whether it's Ronnie Fauss, Kenny Troupe, Rick Hurwitz, Rich Zeichner, Matt and Brian from pickleball. It's just lots of people who are into sports, we have this debate, who is the face of the NBA today? Before we talk about today. In the past, clearly you could easily say Michael Jordan, or at one point in time Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, or how about Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russell, and probably many, many others like and more recently, LeBron, who's probably the face of the NBA, but that's fading away because he's going to be retired. But who will get the baton next? Or will be vets like Giannis, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, or the Joker from Denver or youngsters like Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, or Trae Young? To me, Jayson Tatum, he doesn't have the personality. Ja Morant, quickly he gets into too much trouble, at least especially recently. And Trae Young, I go with the wrong city. I really think it's Luka with an asterisk. And you're like, "What do you mean an asterisk, Merrill?" Luka is an amazing talent. Nobody's going to dispute that. He's an international superstar who can help his brand but also the NBA's brand. I believe it's his to lose. However, I think his demeanor during interviews and on-court behavior most likely will need to change and need to change fast to become the face of the NBA. He's an exceptional talent. He does stuff with the ball that I've never seen. He's been a pro since he was 14 years old, think about that. He's a magician with the ball. A modern-day Larry Bird who, frankly, in my opinion is a better distributor and shooter. But I don't know if he wants to be the face of the NBA. I'm just not sure. So I ask you, who's going to be next? Who would you like to be next? Thanks for listening to today's On the M/A/R/C Merrill-ISM. Who is the face of the NBA? My name is Merrill Dubrow. I look forward to hearing from you. Stay well. Stay safe. And please, please, stay in touch.