The All-NBA First Team was announced and Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry are not in it. After piping Jokic to the MVP award, Joel Embiid won the All-NBA First Team battle too, sending the two-time MVP winner to the second team.
Steph Curry and Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell also didn’t make the first-team cut with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Mavericks’ Luka Doncic getting the better of them.
All-NBA First Team
The All-NBA First Team includes:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder – Guard (407 points)
- Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks – Guard (403 points)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks – Forward (500 points)
- Jayson Taytum – Boston Celtics – Forward (484 points)
- Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers – Center (474 points)
All-NBA Second Team
The players that didn’t make the starting five but were named in the All-NBA Second Team are:
- Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors – Guard (188 points)
- Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers – Guard (349 points)
- Jayleen Brown – Boston Celtics – Forward (169 points)
- Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat – Forward (182 points)
- Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets – Center (384 points)
All-NBA Third Team
The players on the All-NBA Third Team are:
- De’Aron Fox – Sacramento Kings – Guard (144 points)
- Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers – Guard (137 points)
- LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers – Forward (81 points)
- Julius Randle – New York Knicks – Forward (125 points)
- Domantas Sabonis – Sacramento Kings – Center (147 points)
The Impact of All-NBA Selections on Finances and Players’ Futures
One team that kept a close eye on the All-NBA Team announcements was Boston.
By being included in the All-NBA Team both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown got much more expensive for the Celtics.
Boston will have to pay more than $600 million to Brown and Tatum because of contractual obligations arising from their All-NBA selections.
Two players that could have featured in some of the three teams were Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and Suns’ Kevin Durant.
Morant was a shoo-in for an All-NBA selection, but his eight-game suspension for brandishing a gun in a nightclubbasically ruled him out.
Similarly, Kevin Durant would have likely made the teams if he played a full season.
Unfortunately, the 13-time All-Star made only 47 appearances for the Suns and Nets and didn’t make the cut for the third time in four seasons.
