Jokic joined by familiar names on All-NBA first team

After winning his third Most Valuable Player award in four years earlier this month, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic headlined this year’s All-NBA teams by earning his sixth selection in a row and his fourth overall on Wednesday.

Jokic, who was supplanted on the first team last season by 2022-23 MVP Joel Embiid of Philadelphia, led the balloting this year, the first year of the award being positionless — in part because of the annual slugfest between the two of them for the one first-team All-NBA center spot.

The irony of that this season is that Embiid was one of several players — along with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler — who made All-NBA last season but wasn’t eligible this year due to the newly created 65-game rule for top awards.

Despite the rule change, joining Jokic on the first-team were the other four players besides Embiid who were named first-team All-NBA last year: Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

It was the sixth straight first-team selection for Antetokounmpo; fifth straight selection for Doncic; the third straight for Tatum; and the second straight for Gilgeous-Alexander. Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander were the only unanimous first-team selections.

Doncic became the third player with five first-team All-NBA selections before turning 26, joining Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant.

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 $346 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 Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (second team) and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (third team), 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.

Haliburton is the first Pacers player to make an All-NBA team since Victor Oladipo after the 2017-18 season.

Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, meanwhile, was another first-time selection, making the second team after leading New York into the second round of the playoffs. He is the first Knicks guard to earn an All-NBA selection since Walt “Clyde” Fraizer after the 1974-75 season.

Along with Brunson and Edwards on the second team were Phoenix‘s Durant, who earned his 11th All-NBA selection, tying for the 12th-most in NBA history; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who made All-NBA for a sixth time and first since 2021; and the Los Angeles Lakers‘ Anthony Davis, who picked up his fifth overall All-NBA selection and first since 2020.

Beyond Haliburton on the third team was Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis, who made a second straight All-NBA third team; Suns guard Devin Booker, who made it for a second time after making All-NBA first-team in 2022; and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who earned a 10th All-NBA selection of his career.

LeBron James, 39, was also selected to the third team, making him the oldest player to make an All-NBA team in NBA history. He was already the youngest player to make All-NBA when he was voted onto the team for the 2004-05 season.

James has now made All-NBA in 20 of his 21 seasons, the most all-time; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Duncan are next with 15 selections each.

James did receive one first-team vote for All-NBA, meaning he has received a first-team vote in 19 of his 21 seasons (exceptions were 2019 and 2023).

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.