Faces of the NBA and their Finals runs

Russell - 12 Finals appearances in 13 seasons (1956-1969)

Wilt - 6 Finals appearances in 10 seasons (1963-1973)

Kareem - 8 Finals appearances in 10 seasons (1979-1989)

Bird - 5 Finals appearances in 7 seasons (1980-1987)

Magic - 9 Finals appearances in 12 seasons (1979-1991)

Jordan - 6 Finals appearances in 8 seasons (1990-1998)

Shaq - 6 Finals appearances in 12 seasons (1994-2006) and 5 apps. in 7 seasons (1999-2006)

Kobe - 7 Finals appearances in 11 seasons (1999-2010)

LeBron - 10 Finals appearances in 14 seasons (2006-2020) and 9 apps. in 10 seasons (2010-2020)

Curry - 6 Finals appearances in 8 seasons (2014-2022)

In comparison with our younger stars today, Tatum (2 apps.) and Giannis, Jokic, Luka (1 app. each), I think the league is so much more competitive that it's harder for 1 player to make it to the Finals year after year and thus more difficult to justify 1 player being the face of the league.