Gilbert Arenas makes strong claim about Jayson Tatum being the face of the league due to his highly critical reception

Jayson Tatum has put together one of the more impressive resumes before the age of 27 the NBA has ever seen. This success led former NBA player Gilbert Arenas to crown the Boston Celtics forward as the next face of the NBA. Arenas highlighted Tatum's achievements and brought up how he is perceived by NBA fans in general.

Gilbert Arenas is a former three-time NBA All-Star who, since retiring in 2013, has shifted over into the sports media space, talking with former NBA players about the league on his podcast, Gil's Arena. Arenas built a case for Tatum, who has been named to the All-NBA First Team in each of the past three years to go along with his six All-Star appearances and 2024 championship with the Boston Celtics.

On Saturday's episode of Gil's Arena, Arenas, along with co-host Josiah Johnson and former Los Angeles Laker Nick Young, discussed which young players are best suited to be the next face of the league. Arenas chose Tatum, citing that his talent and the ire he already faces from fans, make him the logical pick.

"For the last 20-something years, it's been a negative thing on the face of the NBA," said Arenas about how the league operates with its stars now.

"Whoever got bashed the most, didn't even think about it. He(Tatum) is the face, because we pretend his resume is not his resume, so we want to tear him down."

Whether it's because the Boston Celtics have experienced so much success with Jayson Tatum on their roster or the rise of other exciting young players around the league, the Celtics forward has had it rough despite being so skilled.

Jayson Tatum is in the thick of MVP conversation as the Celtics prepare for the playoffs

The MVP conversation has largely been about two players this season, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, Jayson Tatum is putting together a season that should put him in contention with the other two when the time comes to vote for the MVP award.

Tatum is having arguably his best season as a pro, averaging 27 points a game to go along with career highs in assists and rebounds at 5.8 and 8.8 a game, respectively. He continues to make strides as the Celtics' leader alongside fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown, making Boston a fixture at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Tatum might receive more criticism and disrespect than he deserves, but he is a leading candidate to take the torch from LeBron James when the time comes.