Giannis Antetokounmpo was named first team All-NBA on Wednesday, while Anthony Edwards was selected for the second team and Oshkosh native Tyerese Haliburton made third team.
Antetokounmpo was joined by Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the only two unanimous first-team selections — plus Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum.
LeBron James, the oldest player in the NBA at 40, made the third team, becoming the youngest and oldest player to make an All-NBA team.
Edwards was joined by Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis.
Along with Haliburton and James, the third team included Stephen Curry, Domantas Sabonis and Devin Booker.
The NBA changed the rules starting with this season and All-NBA voting is now positionless — as opposed to having two guards, two forwards and one center on each of the teams, a formula that had been in place since the 1950s. Players also had to appear in a minimum number of games, in most cases, to be eligible for award consideration from the panel of 99 broadcasters and writers who served as the voting panel.
For James, who was the youngest player to make All-NBA when he was voted onto the team for the 2004-05 season, another selection only added to his list of accomplishments.
The 20 All-NBA overall picks extended his record, a total that’s now five more than Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His 20 consecutive selections is obviously another record, and he’s the first player to be age 39 or older during what became an All-NBA regular season.
Abdul-Jabbar and Duncan were both just a few days from turning 39 when the regular seasons ended in what became their final All-NBA campaigns, Abdul-Jabbar’s being 1985-86 and Duncan’s being 2014-15. James — the NBA’s career scoring leader — played in 71 games this season, the last 42 of those coming after he turned 39.
And for Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander, the All-NBA nods mean they are poised for supermax extensions that can be signed in 2025, both of which would set records.
Doncic can sign a five-year deal worth about $347 million, starting at nearly $60 million in 2026-27 and ending at about $79 million in 2030-31. Gilgeous-Alexander will be eligible to sign a four-year extension worth about $294 million. His would start in 2027-28 at around $65 million — and the final year, 2030-31, would see him earning just over $81 million, or nearly $1 million per game. It would be the first time an NBA player’s annual salary has topped $80 million.
Also seeing major financial boosts from their All-NBA selections were Edwards and Haliburton, both of whom agreed to extensions last summer that were to be worth about $205 million — and now will be worth about $245 million over the next five seasons.
Durant made All-NBA for the 11th time, tying for the 12th-most in NBA history.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) shoots between Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon (7), forward Domantas Sabonis (11) and center Myles Turner (33) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. The Bucks defeated the Pacers 119-109. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)