Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has arrived as the face of the NBA

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is well on his way to winning MVP in the NBA. Sorry, Nuggets fans. It's happening. Don't fight it. We all know it.

I mean, it's certainly not a guarantee. Nikola Jokic averaging a monster triple-double on the season will reasonably give some people pause with their vote. But the Thunder are 12 games better than the next best team in an incredible Western Conference and it's because mostly because Shai is so awesome.

But enough about MVP. This ain't about that. I'd like to throw his name into the ring for consideration for another designation: Face of the NBA.

COUNTERPOINT: LeBron James says being the face of the NBA kind of sucks. He's got a point!

That's been a talking point for years as we progress further into the twilight of the league's Big 3. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will all retire someday (I'm assuming). Who will carry the mantle for the league after them? Everyone wants to know the answer. I think it's SGA.

I wasn't so optimistic about that until Wednesday night when I watched him beat up on the reigning champion Boston Celtics and throw his logo on the TD Garden like he owned the place.

I guess, really, now he kind of does.

Part of being the "face of the league" is just generally being as cool as possible. There are plenty of players fit the bill for that. Gilgeous-Alexander certainly is one — people beg for a piece of his "aura." It's weird, but it works. Anthony Edwards also might be the coolest guy in the league right now. Victor Wembanyama is up there, too.

But the other big part of being the face is having the audacity. To do what, exactly? Whatever you want.

You've got to be a little cocky. You've got to let the people know you're good. Putting your logo on the front of one of the most prestigious arenas in sports is the definition of audacity. So is dedicating Instagram captions to shading your opponents after you beat them.

Shai is good. He's the MVP. This is his league and he's not afraid to let people know it. The "face of the NBA" conversation is a broad, multi-layered one that will continue on for years. From now on, I think it's pretty clear this guy should be included.

Trinity Rodman has American soccer shook

Washington Spirit star player Trinity Rodman might not be long for the NWSL.

OK. OK. Take a deep breath, Sykes. That might be a bit of a leap, seeing as there's no clear indication that she's leaving the Spirit or the NWSL anytime soon. But in an interview with ESPN's Futbol W, Rodman said she's thought about taking a trip abroad.

"I've always thought about playing overseas at some point in my career," Rodman said. "I think I would kick myself if I retired and hadn't done that. So it's just a matter of when, I think."

It certainly sounds like the NWSL could be losing one of its star players soon. If not in the immediate future, then sometime down the line.

On one hand, this could simply be a contract negotiation tactic for Rodman, who is entering the final year of her deal with the Spirit. She signed a four year deal in 2022 and became the league's highest paid player back then. If she chooses to re-up with the Spirit or move somewhere else in the NWSL, I'm sure she'll be looking to do the same thing. Her saying she could potentially walk away here shows that she's not settling for less.

But she could also just leave!

Some of her USWNT colleagues have done the same. Naomi Girma was transferred to Chelsea. Crystal Dunn left FC Gotham for Paris Saint-Germain. There are more names out there that have shifted around from the NWSL to European leagues.

That's not an issue. Simply watching the best players on earth play is always a treat, no matter where they're doing it at. It just shows how far the NWSL has to go before it can convince players to resist the pull from traditional European football clubs. The new CBA has done some good work in making that happen, but there's still plenty of work left to be done.

Rodman's decision, whenever it comes up, will be telling.

A double-bang for the books

You know a shot is incredible when Mike Breen gives it a double-bang. He doesn't pass those out like candy at Halloween — you've got to earn it.

Looks like Mikal Bridges earned it.

That's a tough shot, man. Buzzer beater. Defense in your face. Coming off the screen with full momentum. Yeah, I'd say he earned it.

Tough win for the Knicks.

Quick hits: They're lying to you about Trans women in sports ... Samurai Seiya ... and more

— Michelle Martinelli wrote a powerful column on the lies being told about trans folks in sports. You absolutely need to read this today.

— Seiya Suzuki slicing baseballs with a samurai sword might be the coolest thing on the internet. Charles Curtis has more on it here.

— Aaron Rodgers is a meme. Again.

— Meg Hall's new WNBA mock draft is quite shocking. As a Mystics fan, I'm thrilled.

— The MLB is done with us making fun of its overlap hats. Boooooo. Andrew Joseph has more.

— Cory Woodroof has more on the five teams that got worse in NFL free agency.

That's a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. Peace.

-Sykes ✌️