Key Takeaways
- Charlie Villanueva said Cooper Flagg cannot become the NBA’s next face because “a white dude” cannot represent what he called “a Black league.”
- Theo Pinson challenged Villanueva’s reasoning on the To The Baha podcast.
- Villanueva later named international stars Victor Wembanyama, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić as potential faces of the league, while Thaddeus Young suggested Anthony Edwards—with some media training.
In light of the emergence of Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg in his sophomore season, former NBA player Charlie Villanueva reiterated why he believes a white player, such as Flagg, cannot be the face of the league.
Villanueva previously shared his thoughts about the possibility of Flagg becoming the face of the league on an episode of the To The Baha podcast last week.
“This might sound crazy, but I don't think, in 2026, a white dude could be—I'm gonna be real—could be the face of the league, if I'm being honest,” he said.
Co-host and former NBA player Theo Pinson countered, saying “He don’t play like a white dude, though,” to which Villanueva responded, “Because it’s a Black league, right?”
“What the fuck does that even mean?” Pinson blurted out.
According to the 2023 NBA Racial and Gender Report Card, 82.5 percent of players in the 2022-23 season were people of color.
The panel later discussed who would be the face of the league outside of Flagg, and Villanueva seemed convinced it would be an international player, given how global the game has become.
“It’s one of them overseas cats,” he said, before naming two white European players. “Could be Wemby. It could be Luka. It could be Giannis. It could be Jokic.”
“They don’t wanna be the face of the league, though,” Pinson said.
Co-host and former NBA player Thaddeus Young proposed Anthony Edwards, adding that he would need some media training before taking up the mantle.
Villanueva doubled down on his claim during an episode on Monday (Nov. 2), asking — largely rhetorically — the most recent time a white player had been the face of the NBA. The panel seemed to be in agreement that the answer was Larry Bird, who dominated the league in the 1980s, but Villanueva wasn’t convinced, saying that Bird had that unofficial title only in tandem with his rival Magic Johnson.
Villanueva then felt the need to address potential accusations of racism towards white people by bringing up his sexual history.
“My first nut was with a white girl,” he said, which left everyone stunned.
“We all remember our first, right?” Villanueva continued. “So why would I be racist?”
