Most Valuable Player, Joel Embiid was named to the All-NBA first team for the first time in his career as the league unveiled all three of its All-NBA squads Wednesday night, while LeBron James extended his all-time record to 19 selections.
Embiid was joined on the first team by Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry headlined the second team with his ninth selection. He was joined by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.
James, who has now made an All-NBA team for 19 straight seasons, missing out only in his rookie year, led the third-team selections, along with a pair of Sacramento Kings — center Domantas Sabonis and guard De’Aaron Fox. They were joined by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and New York Knicks forward Julius Randle.
Embiid, who led the NBA in scoring for a second straight year, has now won the league’s MVP award and been named to an All-NBA first team for the first time. He finished second to Jokic in the MVP race in each of the past two seasons and was a second-team All-NBA selection behind Jokic in three of the past four (and Anthony Davis in 2018) before finally breaking through this year.
It is the fifth straight first-team selection for Antetokounmpo, who averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists for the Bucks this season before Milwaukee was stunned in five games by the Heat in the first round. He was the only player to be a unanimous first team pick.
It is the second straight first-team selection — and third overall — for Tatum and fourth straight first-team honor for Doncic.
Gilgeous-Alexander helped the Thunder reach the 8-9 play-in tournament game despite No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren missing the entire season and the Thunder having one of the NBA’s youngest squads in making the All-NBA team for the first time.
Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander making the first team while missing the playoffs marks the first time multiple players have made All-NBA since Pete Maravich and Paul Westphal did so in 1977.
It was the fifth All-NBA selection for Jokic and Butler and seventh for Lillard, while it was the second for Randle and the first for Brown, Fox and Sabonis, the latter two having powered Sacramento to its first playoff appearance in 17 years.
Brown, meanwhile, was the big winner from a contractual standpoint. By making All-NBA, the Celtics star qualified for a five-year, $295 million supermax extension this summer, which would be the largest contract in NBA history if he signs it. Brown would have been eligible for a four-year, $189 million extension this offseason had he not made All-NBA. (ABC)
