Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
The Kia All-NBA Teams have been announced, and a pair of two-time NBA MVPs lead the way once again.
Denver Nuggets center and reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic finds himself on the First Team alongside Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won the MVP award in 2019 and 2020.
They are joined by newcomer and Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker, who averaged a career-high 26.8 points while leading his team to an NBA-best 64-18 record.
Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic joins Booker in the backcourt for his third straight First Team appearance as well.
Finally, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum rounds out the First Team this year after guiding the C’s to second in the Eastern Conference. He was the catalyst for the team’s 26-6 finish down the stretch and averaged a career-high 26.9 points and 8.0 rebounds.
Here’s a look at all three All-NBA teams as well as quick write-ups on the First Team players.
All-NBA First Team
Dallas Mavericks G Luka Doncic
Phoenix Suns G Devin Booker
Milwaukee Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo
Boston Celtics F Jayson Tatum
Denver Nuggets C Nikola Jokic
All-NBA Second Team
Memphis Grizzlies G Ja Morant
Golden State Warriors G Stephen Curry
Chicago Bulls F DeMar DeRozan
Brooklyn Nets F Kevin Durant
Philadelphia 76ers C Joel Embiid
All-NBA Third Team
Atlanta Hawks G Trae Young
Phoenix Suns G Chris Paul
Toronto Raptors F Pascal Siakam
Los Angeles Lakers F LeBron James
Minnesota Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic
The reigning back-to-back NBA MVP posted 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game.
Per Basketball-Reference, he paced the league with 15.2 win shares and a 9.8 VORP (value over replacement player). His 32.8 player efficiency rating also led the NBA.
Jokic did all that despite Denver missing point guard Jamal Murray (torn ACL) all season and forward Michael Porter Jr. (lumbar spine surgery) for all but nine games.
Thanks largely to his efforts, Denver finished 48-34 and reached the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.
The four-time All-Star has now made three All-NBA First Teams and one All-NBA Second Team.
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo, a nine-year veteran and six-time All-Star, averaged a career-high 29.9 points, as well as 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this year. The two-time NBA MVP finished third in the MVP voting this season behind Jokic and runner-up Joel Embiid and led the Bucks to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The 27-year-old also won the 2021 NBA Finals MVP and the 2020-21 NBA championship. He has made the All-NBA First Team for four straight years.
No other NBA player has a current First Team streak as long as Antetokounmpo, who had 31.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in the playoffs.
Suns G Devin Booker
Booker and the Suns finished with the best record in the league at 64-18. The season didn’t end on a high note with a tough seven-game loss to Doncic and the Mavs in Round 2, but the three-time All-Star certainly deserves honors for a tremendous year that saw him average a career-best 26.8 points per game.
He and Chris Paul arguably formed the NBA’s best backcourt, and the two also guided Phoenix to top four offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, per Basketball-Reference. Overall, it was a great season for Booker, who now enjoys his well-deserved All-NBA team nod.
Mavericks G Luka Doncic
The 23-year-old continued to be a force to be reckoned with in his four-year NBA career as he averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game for the fifth-seeded Mavs.
He did all that despite the Mavs making a seismic change to their roster and trading big man Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards midseason.
Undeterred, Doncic easily led the Mavs to the playoffs, where they advanced to the Western Conference Finals after upsetting the top-seeded Suns in Round 2. Luka Magic appeared once again as he averaged 32.6 points in the Suns series.
Doncic is now a three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA First Team member who won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award as well.
Celtics F Jayson Tatum
Tatum has now made three All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams in his five-year career. Things looked bleak this season after the C’s got off to a moribund 25-25 start, but Tatum catapulted the squad to a tremendous finish and the No. 2 seed in the East.
A potentially dangerous matchup with Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets loomed in Round 1, but Tatum and the C’s dispatched them in a four-game sweep. They then took down Giannis and the Bucks in seven second-round games and currently sit tied at two games apiece in the Eastern Conference Finals with the Miami Heat.
Tatum’s officially broken out into one of the game’s elite stars this year, and he could very well be on his way toward leading Boston to its first-ever title since 2008.
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