"Ridiculously on point" - NBA fans hail Colin Cowherd's analogy to call Jayson Tatum 'aura-less' amid face of the league conversation

Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum made the case for deserving consideration as the next face of the NBA. However, according to The Volume's Colin Cowherd, Tatum doesn't come close to stacking up against the league's all-time most charismatic greats. The veteran analyst's direct take left NBA fans laughingly applauding.

Amid concerns about the NBA's declining popularity, discussions about the league needing a new face have become increasingly prevalent. During a Tuesday interview with The Washington Post, Tatum weighed in. The six-time All-Star noted that his illustrious resume at age 26 makes him worthy of being in the running for the prestigious title.

"I don't really want to insert myself in things that can be debated," Tatum said.

"Did he win a championship? Yes. Did he win gold medals? Yes. Was he always a part of winning seasons? Was he first team All-NBA? Those are things that are hard evidence. Yes or no. Face of the NBA? They can always debate. But it's like, I check off all the boxes."

However, on Thursday's episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," the host pushed back against Jayson Tatum's comments.

After pointing out that few players have ever been the NBA's face, the analyst noted that each has had a distinct aura accompanying their greatness.

"Close your eyes. Think about Magic Johnson. You can see the smile. Think about Michael (Jordan). You can see that cocky grin. Think about LeBron (James). You can see the imagery. Pregame chalk. You can close your eyes and there are images with stars," Cowherd said.

Afterward, Cowherd quipped that nothing comes to mind when he thinks of Tatum apart from his stat profile.

"Close your eyes now and do it with Tatum," Cowherd said. "I don't see anything. 26 (points) a night? I don't see anything."

Cowherd's analogy left fans on X/Twitter in stitches as they overwhelmingly concurred that Tatum lacks traditional superstar appeal.

"He called him aura-less, LMFAO," @Peeziey said.

"LMAO, Colin cooked here," @ShakeZoula wrote.

"Love Tatum, but this is ridiculously on point. Bro didn't say one original thing after winning the title," @Challllss said.

"I genuinely don't understand (the) Tatum hype. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, special about him. He also isn't good enough to be the face (of the NBA)," @kimjungrun wrote.

"Tatum's just lame, man. No one wants to say it, (but) he's not swag like Ant(hony) Edwards," @Top1Big23 said.

"No disrespect to Tatum, but this is a major factor in the way people think about him. He's a great guy and a good father, but he's corny and 'aura-less' to most fans," @carterc2429 wrote.

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Colin Cowherd says Jayson Tatum "wasn't face of the Celtics" during 2024 NBA Finals

While critiquing Jayson Tatum's face of the NBA case, Colin Cowherd noted that the superstar has struggled to be the biggest standout on his team.

According to Cowherd, Tatum's co-star Jaylen Brown was more instrumental in Boston's 2024 NBA championship. He added that Tatum's lack of assertiveness has been a longstanding trend.

"Hell, he wasn't the face of the Celtics in the finals. Jaylen Brown was," Cowherd said (timestamp: 1:08). "Marcus Smart, two years earlier, was taking the ball from him."

So, despite his accolades, Tatum may be best served to stay out of the face of the league conversation to avoid further backlash.

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