There are many achievements a player can win over the course of the regular season. Many compete for awards like the MVP; some have to try and fight to win awards like Rookie of the Year or Most Improved Player. However, the All-NBA teams recognize the 15 best players in the NBA, and the league has announced their All-NBA Teams for the 2021-22 season.
The All-NBA First Team features Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. The All-NBA Second Team is headlined by Steph Curry, Ja Morant, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid. Finally, the All-NBA Third Team sees Chris Paul, Trae Young, LeBron James, Pascal Siakam, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
This is the first All-NBA selection for players like Trae Young, Ja Morant, and Devin Booker, while Pascal Siakam and Karl-Anthony Towns have returned to All-NBA after a few years of not being voted in. LeBron James is the only player selected whose team did not make the playoffs.
2021-22 All-NBA teams:
First: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum
Second: Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan
Third: Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Trae Young, Pascal Siakam
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 25, 2022
The 15 players named to the All-NBA highlight the NBA’s past and the future. Iconic players like LeBron, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, DeMar DeRozan, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo have all been elite players in the NBA for a while. There are players like Luka Doncic, who made his third consecutive All-NBA First Team appearance in just 4 seasons played.
LeBron has further extended his lead over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for being named to the most All-NBA teams, with this being LBJ’s 18th season on the All-NBA list, but only the second time he has been named on the third team.
Some players will be upset with the result, including MVP runner-up Joel Embiid, who fell to the second team after Nikola Jokic was given the center position on the first team. Nonetheless, everyone named onto these teams is eligible to sign super-max extensions, so a lot of money could be in the future for these stars.
